Doran Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Let me have a look at what's on the table for Doran Beach over the next couple of weeks. Honestly, it's a bit of a slow start. The first few days look pretty marginal, with small, weak swell and winds that aren't doing us any favours. You're looking at a stretch of real 'take it or leave it' kind of surf right through to the end of July.

Wednesday the 22nd kicks off with a bit of a whimper. A 5ft S swell, but with a short, weak period and a southerly onshore breeze. It's not going to be any good, just bumpy and messy. That theme carries on through Thursday and Friday – surf stays tiny, under 3ft, and even when the wind goes cross-offshore, the energy is just too low to make anything worthwhile.

We finally see a little more push from the weekend, but it's still small. Saturday the 25th through to Monday the 27th sees the swell height creeping up to about 3ft to 4ft, and the period gets a bit longer, coming from the SW. The combined energy starts to get into three digits, hitting 1023 on Monday morning, but by the afternoon the wind pumps up to 22 mph, which will mess up the face. Still, the water temperature is sitting at 57°F, which is pretty much average for the time of year, so nothing wild there.

Now, keep an eye on Tuesday the 28th afternoon. The forecast throws in a 10ft swell from the NW, but with a period of only 7 seconds – that's short-period wind swell. The combined energy is massive at 1783, but the wave comment says it's predicted to be too big for this break. That's a red flag. This isn't going to be a fun paddle-out for anyone but the most experienced players, and even then, the break setup might not handle it. Wednesday the 29th afternoon has a similar story: another 10ft NW swell, but again with a short period (8 seconds). It's going to be a washing machine.

The best chance for a decent, surfable wave looks to be Friday morning the 31st of July. The swell drops back to a manageable 6ft from the WNW, with a period of 8 seconds and combined energy of 1012. The wind will be a light cross-offshore breeze at 9 mph, which should keep things clean. It's rated as excellent for experienced surfers. This is your standout window, mate. After that, the first week of August sees the swell go on a bit of a rollercoaster, dropping back down to the 3ft to 6ft range, with mixed winds. Nothing else really jumps out as a 'must-be-there' session.

So, to wrap it up: the first week is mostly a write-off for decent waves. The standout is definitely the morning of Friday the 31st of July. Get on it then if you can. The water is standard for this time of year, and honestly, for the other days, you might be better off with a kite if the wind is up, because the surf quality just isn't there for a paddle.

Rusty

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