This spot is only worth visiting if there is a good south swell and winds are offshore which they usually are because of the direction the beach is facing. Another time to visit is during the winter when everywhere else is too big. The wave will close out every once in awhile and almost all the time in winter. Oh...watch out for people ditching boards and droping in on you too. The closest to the curl rule doesn't seem to apply here. CAUTION: VEREY SHALLOW
Overview
Atmosphere
I surf here often during late winter to early spring when the winds at salmon creek beach feel almost gale force. The wind at doran is still strong, but usually offshore. I like to surf doran during the first few good sized south swells of the year then after that I'm headed south to marin or north to undisclosed spots. longboarders are the bulk of the line up.
General
overall its relaxing to be out there and can occasially get fun, but its hard to ignore the board ditching begginers when they get caught inside on medium sized set waves.
One Beautiful Day at Doran
It was about one year ago today, the swell was about 4 feet and 289 and the winds were 25 knots from the south. i paid the $5 and drove in and pulled out in the first dirt parking lot. i got out and didnt even check it because i just knew that it was going to be epic. So when i was done suiting up i grabbed my 15 foot short board and walked out and came over the dunes and there it was Completely Flat. i was stoked no one was out best wave ever. oh wow im glad that i have no friends because if i did i would have had to share those epic ripples.
comment by anonymous, 2005-04-13 17:22:00
i was out that day
To who ever posted the pic with the overhead barrel, i think i was out there that day. That was the best day i've seen at doran in about two years. See everyone, sonoma county isn't that bad for surfing. I just wouldn't take a chance to travle up here and hope to find good surf. A lot of the time it's just your average day of surf or worse.
comment by tdoggy64@yahoo.com, 2005-04-01 20:22:57
Can be a fun scene
Can be a fun wave if the swell is big, the winds are NorthWest to NorthEast, and the tide is HIGH. Then its like a fun little So-Cal beach break but with coold dunes. Can be good for learning when like this. At low tide it gets increasingly heavy and closing out, and turns into a unsurfable mess. Occasionally, when its somewhere between high and low tide, and a really big swell, and can turn into an epic, high performance wave with gaping barrels. Still VERY shallow, could break something.
comment by Chris Herrara, 2008-07-11 20:42:05