Doran Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's on the table for Doran Beach over the next couple of weeks. It's a bit of a waiting game, to be honest.

Right off the bat, the first real shout for a paddle is this Sunday, the 30th of August. It's not huge—swell around 3 ft to 4 ft coming from the SW and SSW—but we've got a long-period groundswell at 15 to 16 seconds pushing some moderate energy through (in the 697 to 798 range). The winds are cross or cross-off, so it’ll be rideable, but nothing to write home about. The water temp is about average for this time of year.

Monday the 31st looks a bit messy. The morning has a punchier 5 ft NW swell, but with a short period of 8 seconds and cross winds, it's not going to be pretty. The afternoon drops off and gets choppy. Tuesday through Thursday of next week are mostly a write-off with poor surf, onshore winds, and weak, marginal energy. Thursday afternoon cleans up a little with a 4 ft WNW swell and cross-off breeze, but it's still small.

Now, we start to see some hope. The morning of Friday the 4th of September has a nice little window. Swell is 3 ft from the SW, but the energy picks up to a moderate 1013. Light cross winds should keep it semi-clean. Saturday the 5th is similar, with cross-off winds in the afternoon cleaning things up.

The standout window, and I mean the real gem here, is the morning of Sunday the 6th of September. We’ve got glassy conditions with a slight SSE breeze, a clean 3 ft SSW groundswell at a nice 14-second period. The energy is moderate (536), but that glassy surface will make every little bump count. This is the morning to be out there early with a log or a mid-length. It’s an inconsistent break, so you might have to be patient, but when a set comes through, it’ll be worth the wait. Crowds are possible here, but on a Sunday, you’ll have company.

Monday the 7th and Tuesday the 8th mornings also look clean with light offshore or glassy winds, but the swell is even smaller, dropping to 3 ft to 3 ft. Good for a cruise, but not a standout.

The next real blip comes on Wednesday the 9th of September. The morning is glassy again, with a 4 ft S swell at 12 seconds. Energy is moderate (588) and conditions look excellent for a glassy morning session. The afternoon builds a touch to 4 ft, but the wind swings cross.

After that, we hit a flat spell. Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th are dominated by onshore breezes and weak, low-energy swell. Friday afternoon does see a sudden jump to a 7 ft NW windswell with a short 7-second period. At over 5 ft, it's getting a bit too big for beginners, and with that short period and cross winds, it’s going to be a lumpy, close-out mess. Honestly, that setup with 7 ft and strong cross-wind looks more interesting for kite surfing than a traditional paddle surf.

We close out the forecast with Saturday the 12th of September. The morning looks promising with glassy conditions and a solid 6 ft WNW swell, but again, it's short-period at 8 seconds. Still, glassy and 6 ft is a fun size for a goofy-footer on a fish if the banks hold, but it’s expert territory at that size. The afternoon jumps to 7 ft NW windswell, which is big and beefy.

So, to sum it up: the best bet is the glassy morning of Sunday the 6th, with a secondary shout for the glassy morning of Wednesday the 9th. After that, the second week has a few clean moments but the swell gets junky and short-period. It won't stay poor forever. Keep an eye on the forecasts a few days out.

Rusty.

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