Bribie Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the table for the next couple of weeks. Gotta be straight with you – this one's a bit of a struggle. The overall pattern is a long, drawn-out run of small to moderate east-northeast swell, but the wind and timing are gonna be the real story. Most of the time, it’s just not gonna come together nicely, so we’re looking at a lot of “maybe” sessions rather than any sure things.

The first real chance to get wet doesn't come until Tuesday the 19th of August. Tuesday morning at Bribie Island, we’ve got a 5ft swell out of the southeast, with a clean cross-offshore breeze. The period is a short 8 seconds, so it’s gonna be a bit lumpy and lack real punch, but it’s surfable. The combined swell energy is a moderate 582, so there’s some push there. The water temp is sitting at 67°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a decent wetsuit.

Wednesday the 20th of August afternoon is probably your best bet of the whole outlook. The swell bumps up to 5ft from the east-southeast with a clean cross-offshore breeze. The period is still short at7 seconds, but the energy jumps to 503, which is moderate. It’s not a world-beater, but for Bribie, it’s the cleanest and most sizeable window we get. This is the standout – it’s the closest we get to a decent session.

After that, it’s a slow decline. Thursday the 21st has a small 4ft swell with poor wind. Friday the 22nd morning is tiny, only 3ft, but it’s absolutely glassy. If you’ve got a longboard and no standards, that’s your window for a morning glide on a micro-swell. It’s going to be weak (energy of75) but it’ll be clean.

The rest of the run from the 23rd of August through to the 2nd of September is pretty grim. Swell drops below3ft and mostly hangs around1ft to3ft. There’s a couple of afternoons with offshore winds, like Monday the25th of August afternoon, but the swell is just too small to get excited about –3ft with8 seconds. For most of that second week, you’re looking at a gap of several days where there’s really no recommendation worth paddling out for. The wave energy is consistently weak, often in the double digits or low triple digits.

Bribie Island is an exposed spot, and it needs a decent easterly swell to work. The optimum direction is east-northeast, and we do get some of that, but the size and period are just never there to make it worthwhile. The crowds are “sometimes” a factor, but honestly, with this forecast, it won’t be crowded. The spot can be inconsistent, and this run proves it. Given the short period and the small size, this is looking more like a kite-surfing setup on the windy days than a proper paddle session. The beach break will be choppy and weak.

So, bottom line: Wednesday the20th of August afternoon is your one real shot at something half-decent. Otherwise, it’s a long, quiet wait.

Rusty.

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