Moreton Island - Cape Moreton Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let me have a proper look at what’s coming up for Cape Moreton. To be honest, it’s a pretty grim run ahead. The first proper surfable window isn’t until Sunday afternoon, 23 August, and even then it’s just small, weak energy with a fairly ordinary set-up. The swell is only 3ft from the east-northeast, with a short 7-second period that’ll have those waves crumbling and lacking any real push. The combined swell energy is weak at 108, and while the water temp is sitting at 69°, which is pretty average for this time of year, the cross-off wind from the southeast won’t be enough to save it. It’s surfable, sure, but you’ll be working hard for nothing special.

Monday the 24th is a write-off: rain showers, onshore winds, and the swell bumps up a touch but it’s messy and choppy. Tuesday the 25th looks even worse with strong northerly winds blowing straight onshore, killing any chance of a clean wave. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday all follow the same sorry pattern – some cross-off or clean windows but the swell is tiny, period is short, and the energy is moderate at best. There’s nothing that makes you want to paddle out.

Now, from Thursday the 27th, the combined energy jumps into the moderate range, hitting 282 on Thursday morning and staying in the 200s through Friday and into the weekend. That sounds promising, but don’t get your hopes up. The swell height only reaches 5ft at best, and the east-northeast direction isn’t ideal for Cape Moreton’s optimum east swell. The wind is offshore or cross-off, which keeps the surface clean, but the short period – mostly 7 to 8 seconds – means the waves are weak, soft, and lack any real punch. It’s the kind of surf that’s technically rideable but completely forgettable. For beginners, anything under 5ft is fine, but the quality is just poor across the board, with the scores reflecting that.

Sunday the 30th offers another clean day with a southeast cross-off breeze and a swell around 4ft, now with a slightly longer 10-second period. That’s a bit more organised, but still well short of exciting. The combined energy is still moderate at 243, but again, the waves are small and the direction is off.

There’s a gap from there into early September where things go flat and weak. The last few days of the forecast – from the 5th of September into the 7th – drop right off: swell under 2ft, combined energy below 100, and either onshore winds or no real swell to speak of. A brief flicker on the 6th of September morning with a light southerly offshore, but with only 2ft and an 8-second period, it’s barely worth a mention.

Overall, there isn’t a single standout day in this whole 16-day stretch. Cape Moreton has some fairly consistent exposure to swell, but none of these swells line up well. The optimum direction is east, and we get mostly east-northeast, which isn’t terrible, but combined with short periods, it just never delivers. The consistent offshore winds in the mix are a tease – clean faces but nothing underneath them. If you’re desperate for a paddle, Sunday 23 August or Tuesday morning 1 September might give you something small and clean to play on, but I’m not getting excited.

Stay patient, mate. This run happens sometimes. It won’t stay this flat forever.

- Rusty

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