Doring Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, it's Rusty.

Right off the bat, it's looking like a slow start here on the West Coast. We've got a bit of a flat spell for the next couple of days, so don't rush to the beach just yet. The ocean is still sorting itself out, but things are gonna get properly interesting later in the week.

Looking at the first real window of potential, Saturday the 1st down at Doring Bay (West Coast) is a bit of a tease. There's some SW swell around 4ft to 4ft pushing in, but it's a bit on the weak side, with combined energy around the 514 to 517 mark, and conditions are marginal at best. The water's also a touch colder than normal for this time of year, sitting at 55°.

Sunday the 2nd is a write-off with poor conditions. Monday the 3rd has a bit more energy in the water (717 in the morning), but the wind is just a mess, making it choppy and cross. We're still not getting any clean, rideable waves here.

Now, here's where it gets good. Tuesday the 4th morning, the setup cleans up. We've got a gentle SSE cross-offshore wind, and a clean 5ft SW swell rolling in with a modest energy of 490. It's not huge, but it's a start, and it should be surfable, especially if you're an intermediate who just wants some clean lines.

But the real story is the big swell event that's heading our way. From the 5th of August through to the 9th, we're seeing a serious pulse of SW groundswell. Wednesday the 5th afternoon it starts to fill in nicely, hitting 7ft with a long 14-second period and strong energy (1651), and the wind goes light and offshore. This is the one to get out for. It's going to be a proper session.

Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th are looking huge, with 10ft of SW swell on tap and energy readings going over 3000. But you've got to be careful. This kind of size is expert territory – anything over 8ft is for the crew who know what they're doing. The reef at Doring Bay is going to be a beast of a wave, especially with a period around 13 seconds. It's going to be challenging, but for the guys and girls who can handle it, this is going to be the standout period of the whole forecast. It’s still clean early morning on Thursday with the wind going glassy, which is a huge plus, but there's nothing for the casual surfer here.

Saturday the 8th is just getting bigger. We're talking 12ft to 13ft of swell, with energy numbers pushing past 7000. This is a heavy-water day, definitely not for the faint-hearted. The wind will be cross to cross-onshore, which is going to make it more of a battle. This is more of a big-wave mission than a casual surf.

Sunday the 9th sees the swell still large, but the wind switches onshore and hammers it to 25 mph, making conditions poor. That big southerly is going to rip the surface to pieces. Looks more like a kite-surfing kind of a day than a paddling one.

After that big push, it starts to ease off. Monday the 10th has a strong offshore wind and a clean 7ft of SSW swell, but it's dropping. It’ll be walled-up and a bit raw, but for the experienced crew who want some leftovers without the huge size, it could be a score.

The next real beacon of hope arrives on Tuesday the 11th. That afternoon, a very long-period SSW swell rolls in – 22 seconds! – and the wind goes offshore. The energy is 1410, and while the size is a manageable 4ft, that period is something special. This is going to be a clean, glassy, groundswell treat for experienced surfers. This is your second standout of the forecast, a true long-period gem.

Wednesday the 12th keeps things interesting. We've got 7ft of SW groundswell, period of 16 seconds and a light cross-offshore wind in the morning. It's going to be a big, clean, powerful reef wave, but again, that's expert-level conditions.

From the 13th onwards, we're back into a more mushy, inconsistent pattern. The size drops off, and the winds become variable. There's a period on the 15th with a smaller, but long-period WSW swell (16s), but it’s clean and blown by a light cross-shore. It's not going to be a classic, but it's something to keep an eye on. The 16th closes out with poor conditions as strong westerly winds move in.

So, here's the bottom line: the first two days are a bust. The standouts are the big swell from the 6th to the 8th for the experts, and the super clean, very long-period swell on the 11th and 12th for the experienced crowd. The rest is a mix of so-so conditions and odd windows. Patience is key, and be ready to move when the mother ocean speaks.

Rusty out.

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