Doring Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Gather 'round, crew. Let's talk about Doring Bay. This is a reef setup, exposed to the south-west, and it's fairly consistent, so we've got plenty of action to look at over the next couple of weeks. The water is sitting at 53°, which is a massive 6° colder than normal for this time of year – that's a proper winter chill, so you'll want a thick steamer.

There's a good run of surf kicking off now, but it's going to be a mixed bag. The standout window is early next week. Monday the 17th is a write-off with messy, cross-onshore wind and a marginal forecast, so we'll wait. Things start to clean up nicely on Tuesday the 18th. The morning is where it's at: a clean 7ft WSW groundswell (13-second period) with a light cross-offshore breeze. That's a solid, surfable size for intermediates, with the long period giving you good shape on the reef. The afternoon gets blown out though, so get on it early.

Wednesday the 19th is a bit of a mess with lumpy cross-chop, so give it a miss. But then Thursday the 20th morning is another cracker. We've got a clean 8ft SW groundswell with a long 13-second period, light cross-offshore winds. That's a proper session. Thursday afternoon, however, the swell jumps to 10ft with a fresh breeze creating lumpy conditions – that's expert territory only, and even then, the wind is no good.

Friday the 21st morning is clean but the swell drops a bit to 7ft (SW). It's worth a paddle if you missed the Thursday morning window. After that, we hit a bit of a lull. The weekend of the 22nd and 23rd is average at best, with smaller swells and onshore winds. Sunday the 23rd morning offers a glimmer with a clean 7ft (SW, 13s) and light offshore winds, but it's not a standout.

The following week, from Monday the 24th, things drop off significantly – small, messy, and windy. Not worth your time. The next solid window looks to be on Tuesday the 25th morning: another clean session with 7ft SW groundswell (13s) and light offshores. That's a solid, consistent option. Wednesday the 26th morning has clean 8ft (SW, 13s) but with a strong offshore NE wind – it'll be clean but bowling, maybe a bit tricky.

Looking way out, Monday the 31st of August morning is a big one: a 10ft SW groundswell with a very long 14-second period, clean cross-offshore winds. That's a big, powerful swell but it's only for experts at that size; the long period will wrap nicely around the reef but it'll be thick and heavy. Tuesday the 1st of September morning cleans up with a strong offshore NE wind (25 mph) but the swell has dropped to 5ft.

For the best on offer, I'm calling Thursday the 20th morning and Tuesday the 25th morning as your top picks. Both have clean conditions, solid SW groundswell at a rideable size. The 31st is a big, powerful beast for the experienced crew, but keep an eye on the wind. Get on it when you can.

Rusty.

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