Doran Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Grab a coffee, let’s talk about what’s coming up. We’ve only got one spot on the radar for this whole stretch: Doran Beach. It’s an inconsistent, exposed beginner break, so it's not working all the time, and when it does, it’s still a bit of a mixed bag.

Alright, so the window starts on Thursday, July 16th. We’ve got a 7ft swell pushing in from the WNW with a short 7-second period. The wave energy is moderate (734), but the wind is a cross-off at 25 km/h, so it’ll be clean. The water is sitting at 58°, which is about a degree warmer than usual for this time of year – not a huge deal, but a nice little bonus. The problem is, the swell is already 7ft, and it’s gonna jump to 10ft that afternoon. For a beginner spot, 7ft is pushing it, and 10ft is too big for beginners. With the 35 km/h cross-off wind, that afternoon is a hard pass unless you’re an expert looking for a challenge.

The next few days are a bit of a write-off. Friday (July 17th) sees 6ft to 7ft WNW swell, still short period, and the wind stays cross-off, but the quality is just marginal. Saturday and Sunday (July 18th-19th) drop down to tiny 2ft-3ft long-period SW swell (16-17 seconds). That’s groundswell, which is nice in theory, but the energy is still weak (669-928), and the wind is light cross-shore. It’s clean, but it’s small and inconsistent.

Now, here’s a real standout. Monday morning, July 20th. The swell is only 4ft, but it’s a 14-second SSW groundswell (812 energy). The wind is glassy – 5 km/h from the WSW. That’s about as good as it gets for a clean, forgiving wave. If you’re a beginner or just want to have a nice, uncrowded session, that’s the window. It’s a rare moment of perfection for this spot.

The rest of that week (July 21st-23rd) is small and messy with cross or cross-on winds. The swell drops to 2ft-3ft and the energy fades to 242-656. Not worth paddling out.

Then we hit a bit of a weird one. On Friday, July 24th, we get a 2ft-3ft SW swell, but the period jumps to 24 seconds. That’s a very long-period groundswell. The energy is decent (1045-1339), but with such a long period, it’s going to break too straight on a beach break like Doran. It’s clean with cross-off wind, but it’s small and likely won’t have much shape. An interesting curiosity, but not a standout.

The following Saturday, July 25th, the morning looks promising again. A 4ft SW swell at 15 seconds with a gentle cross-off breeze. The energy is strong (2029). That’s a solid combo. The afternoon, however, jumps to 8ft WNW at 8 seconds – that’s short-period, wind-blown, and too big for beginners. Only for experts.

Into the last week of July (26th-31st), the pattern is a lot of the same: 3ft-4ft SW swell, 15-19 second periods, with cross-off winds. The energy is moderate (594-1198). It’s not terrible, but it’s not firing. The morning of Tuesday, July 28th, is probably the best of that run with a 4ft SW swell, 17-second period and a clean 20 km/h cross-off wind. Solid, but nothing to write home about.

Overall, the best bet is Monday morning, July 20th, for the glassy conditions and decent 4ft swell. The Saturday morning, July 25th, is a close second for the bigger, more powerful 4ft swell. The rest of the 16 days is mostly a gap of small, marginal, or too-big conditions. For a spot that’s inconsistent, this is a pretty standard run. Don’t hold your breath, but check the Monday morning forecast.

Rusty.

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