Doran Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it and look at the only game in town for the next couple of weeks.

Doran Beach is the spot we’ve got to work with, and honestly, it’s a patchy run. The opening stretch is a bit of a slow burn. Saturday morning, the 29th, we’ve got a 4ft swell rolling in from the southwest, with a very long 18-second period, giving some proper groundswell energy. The wind is a light cross-off, so it’ll be clean, but the wave comment suggests it’s marginal. Combined energy is moderate at 958. Still, a clean 4ft wave with that long period can be fun if you’re on a log. The afternoon turns into a bit of a mess with an 8ft, short-period windswell from the northwest and a strong 30 mph cross-off wind. That’s too big for beginners and the short period will make it a lumpy, drifty affair. Not the one.

Sunday the 30th is small again, with 4ft and 3ft swells, still with those long periods, but the wind goes cross-shore, making for light wind ripples. It’s the kind of day where you’re scratching for a waist-high wave that has some push. The energy drops to 846 and 704, so it’s weak. The whole first week is a pretty consistent theme of small, waist-to-chest high swell with mediocre wind. Nothing to get excited about. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual.

Now, the real standout here – and I mean the only one that’s worth circling on your calendar – is Tuesday, the 8th of September. Doran Beach wakes up. The morning kicks off with a clean 4ft swell from the south, period of 13 seconds, and a very light 6 mph cross-off breeze. The combined energy is a solid 748, and the wave comment says “expect very good surf conditions.” It’s a proper glassy morning. Then the afternoon steps it up a notch: an 8ft swell from the south, same 13-second period, with a light 6 mph cross-off wind. The energy jumps to 2309, which is strong. The comment says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” That 8ft is definitely in the expert zone, but for those who can handle it, it’s going to be a clean, powerful, lined-up south swell. The wind is near-perfect, and the south swell direction is the optimum for this break. This is the one.

After that, the 9th and 10th see a drop-off in quality and size, and the wind turns onshore or cross-onshore, so it fades out. The second week is mostly small, clean but weak, with only a brief, small burst of energy on the 13th of September with a 5ft windswell. That’s a short-period, weak offering, but it’s clean.

The biggest gap without anything worthwhile is from the 29th of August through to the 8th of September. There are a few surfable days in there, but nothing that gets the heart pumping until that Tuesday.

So, to wrap it up: the best of the lot is Tuesday, the 8th of September. The morning for a solid 4ft clean wave, or the afternoon for the big 8ft stuff if you’ve got the skill. That’s your window. The rest of the 16 days are mostly small, weak, and bitty. The good news is Doran is a fairly consistent spot, so this blank run isn't the norm, but it's what we're looking at now.

Stay frothy.
Rusty

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