Bribie Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The outlook for Bribie Island is a bit of a tough pill to swallow over the next week and a half, but there’s a flicker of light way down the line if you’re patient. We’re looking at a long stretch of poor, messy conditions before a potential clean-up.

Right now and through to the start of August, it’s pretty grim. The swell stays small, mostly around 0.7ft to 4ft, with short, weak periods and hardly any energy (combined energy readings bouncing between 17 and 252). The winds have been a real problem – mostly cross-onshore or cross-shore from the south and southeast, whipping up chop and lumpy conditions. Friday the 24th through Monday the 28th of July is a total write-off: poor surf conditions, choppy faces, and zero rideable waves. Even the longer-period swell that pops up on Monday morning (0.7ft at 13 seconds) is too tiny to do anything with, and the wind ruins it anyway.

A bit of a bigger push arrives around the 2nd of August with some 5ft to 6ft swell, but the wind is still howling from the southeast at 35 km/h, creating lumpy, messy, cross-shore junk. Not worth paddling out for. The energy starts to climb (up to 346-436), but the quality is just not there.

Then things take a turn, but with a big caveat. From the morning of August 6th through to the morning of August 8th, the winds finally shift offshore or cross-offshore (ESE), giving us *clean* conditions. This is a huge positive. On Thursday the 6th, we’ve got a 6ft swell from the ENE at 8 seconds with moderate energy (601), and it’s clean. Friday the 7th morning sees 5ft from the ENE, also clean. But here’s the catch – the swell builds quickly. By Friday afternoon, it’s 7ft, and by Saturday the 8th morning, it’s a solid 8ft from the E with a much longer period of 11 seconds and *very strong* energy (2013). For a beach break like Bribie Island, this is shaping up to be too big for most, and that long-period groundswell tends to close out on the sandbanks. This is really only going to be for experienced surfers, if anyone.

The standout? If you’re an expert, keep your eyes on Friday afternoon, August 7th and Saturday morning, August 8th. The Bribie Island swell will be 7ft to 8ft from the E/ENE, clean with those offshore winds, but it’s big and powerful (combined energy 594 and 2013). It’s a long way out, so keep an eye on the forecasts, but this is the best shot at something with real push. For the rest of us, it’s a waiting game.

Stay patient.

Rusty.

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