Donuts
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
70Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 12 s
Mon 2 · 78 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 s
- Energy
- 375kJ
- Wind
- E 7 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tue 3 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 s
- Energy
- 270kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 75 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 s
- Energy
- 178kJ
- Wind
- ESE 10 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 77 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 s
- Energy
- 219kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 s
- Energy
- 60kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 72 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 s
- Energy
- 218kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 s
- Energy
- 149kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 151, fair
- Mon 278, good
- Tue 360, good
- Wed 475, good
- Thu 577, good
- Fri 630, too small
- Sat 772, good
- Sun 855, fair
- Mon 943, too small
- Tue 1061, good
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Donuts does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 51, fair | 4 ft13 s6 ft at break (est.) | 426kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 78, good | 4 ft12 s5 ft at break (est.) | 375kJ | offshorewind from the east, 7 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 60, good | 3 ft12 s5 ft at break (est.) | 270kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 75, good | 3 ft9 s4 ft at break (est.) | 178kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 10 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 77, good | 4 ft8 s5 ft at break (est.) | 219kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 30, too small | 3 ft6 s3 ft at break (est.) | 60kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 72, good | 3 ft10 s5 ft at break (est.) | 218kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 55, fair | 3 ft10 s4 ft at break (est.) | 149kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 43, too small | 2 ft10 s4 ft at break (est.) | 117kJ | wind from the north-west, 2 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 61, good | 3 ft10 s4 ft at break (est.) | 149kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 24°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 03:31 +0.3 mLow 07:36 +0.1 mHigh 13:37 +0.6 mLow 21:16 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:24 +0.4 mLow 09:35 −0.1 mHigh 15:15 +0.6 mLow 22:16 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:04 +0.6 mLow 10:53 −0.3 mHigh 16:37 +0.5 mLow 23:06 −0.8 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May4of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep4of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov4of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Donuts on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More surf near here
5 places
- Point Loma (Ralph's) 0.8 km away
- Kings Bay 2.3 km away
- Breakers beach 3.9 km away
- Pianos 4.5 km away
- Newbreak (Nubes) 5.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Donuts
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (245°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (65°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea is about 15°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Coronado, 7 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots and 3 dive sites.
Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,060–US$1,930 each
about US$1,060–US$1,930 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to SAN, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$516 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$147–US$241 |
| Total | about US$1,060–US$1,930 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
12 min by car · 43 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Coronado its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in San Diego on Booking.com
16 min by car · 185 places to stay · about US$114 a night, country average
- Beds in Tijuana on Booking.com
43 min by car · 136 places to stay · about US$67 a night, country average
Room prices are our estimate of a 2-star double room's average in each country that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 6h 30m
About 6h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SAN, direct, then 25 min by road
Flights MDW → SAN on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.