Broadbeach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll level with you – the next couple of weeks at Broadbeach are a tough watch. There’s a big, messy stretch of onshore winds and building swell that’s going to keep things pretty ugly until we get a shift in the weather. The real standout doesn’t come until the very end of the run, so let’s get through it.

We start off Friday the 17th with a risk of thunderstorms and a fresh SSE breeze. Swell is a weak 4ft from the SE at 8 seconds, but with that cross-onshore wind, it’s lumpy and poor. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

Saturday the 18th sees some light rain and a SSW wind, which gives us a cleaner look in the morning – 5ft from the ESE at 8 seconds, cross-offshore wind. It’s a bit better, but still only marginal. By the afternoon, the wind swings S and picks up to 35 km/h, and the swell jumps to 8ft with a 10-second period. That’s moderate energy (1339) but the cross-shore wind makes it a lumpy mess. No good.

Sunday the 19th is a washout. Strong SSE winds at 40 km/h, cross-onshore, with 8ft ESE swell (1164 energy). It’s messy and blown out. This is more kite-surfing territory than paddle surfing.

Monday the 20th stays poor. SE winds at 35 km/h, cross-onshore, with 10ft of E swell (1570 energy). That’s big, but with the wind, it’s just a lumpy, chaotic wall. Not for beginners.

Tuesday the 21st the wind drops to 20 km/h, but it’s still cross-onshore. The swell eases to 8ft from the E (1819 energy), but the waves are choppy and only marginal at best. The afternoon sees it drop to 6ft, still poor.

Wednesday the 22nd has a silver lining. The wind goes light – SE at 5 km/h in the morning, then ESE at 10 km/h in the afternoon, turning onshore. Swell is 5ft to 4ft, period 9 seconds. It’s small, but the energy is weak (343 and 297), and the conditions are only marginal. Still, it’s the most promising day this week.

Thursday the 23rd is the first real glimmer. NW wind at 10 km/h gives us a clean, cross-offshore morning. Swell is 3ft from the E, 9-second period, with only 163 energy. It’s small, but clean. The afternoon gets ruined by a north wind picking up to 20 km/h.

Then we hit a long, flat spell. From Friday the 24th right through to Wednesday the 30th, it’s all poor surf with small, weak swell (2ft to 5ft, with energy dropping into the double digits), and the wind is either cross, cross-on, or onshore. There’s a gap of about six days with no real recommendations.

The Standout

Finally, on Thursday the 31st of July, we get a proper window. In the morning, light SSW wind at 10 km/h, cross-offshore, and a tiny 1.0ft SE swell with a very long 15-second period. That’s groundswell, and the energy is only 60, so it’s weak. But the wind is light, and the waves will be clean. It’s a point break or reef kind of wave. By the afternoon, the wind goes glassy – NNE at 5 km/h – and the swell shifts to 0.7ft from the ESE, still 15 seconds. Glassy, clean, but tiny. This is the best of the outlook, and it’s only for the patient, finicky surfer.

Saturday the 1st of August serves up a clean offshore in the morning – W wind at 25 km/h – but the swell is only 1ft from the SE, 11 seconds, 54 energy. Too small for anything serious.

So, the first week is a write-off. The second week gives you a very small, clean, long-period groundswell window on the 31st. That’s your one chance. Keep an eye on the charts, but right now, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty

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