Mooloolaba Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto mate, Rusty here with the look-ahead for the Sunny Coast. Let’s cut through the noise. We’re looking at a pretty average run for Mooloolaba over the next couple of weeks, with only a couple of brief windows that might get the heart racing. The strongest pulse of energy arrives mid-week, but it comes with a catch. The early days are small and mostly ordinary, so don’t rush out just yet.

Starting off Sunday the 13th, it’s a bit of a write-off. We’ve got a messy 4ft ESE swell with a short, weak 6-second period and combined energy sitting at 134 – that’s just weak, choppy junk. Cross-off winds from the SE at 12 mph keep it clean-ish but the power just isn’t there. Monday the 14th drops off even more, with 3ft waves and energy falling to 65. It’s all a bit flat and uninspiring. Tuesday morning the 15th is the best of a bad bunch early on; glassy conditions with only a 3 mph ENE breeze making it look clean, but the swell is a tiny 3ft from the east with a 6-second period. It’s surfable if you’re desperate for a paddle, but that’s about it.

Then things get a bit spicy on Wednesday the 16th. The morning is still small, but by the afternoon a solid 7ft SE swell rolls in with the combined energy jumping to a moderate 381. The period is still a short 6 seconds, so it’s gonna be a bit lumpy and walled-up. The wind is a stiff 22 mph cross-off from the SSE, keeping the surface clean, but that’s a lot of breeze. That swell hangs around into Thursday the 17th with 7ft and 7ft sets, but the wind stays up around 16 mph. This is borderline too big for beginners and the conditions are raw. The wave comment calls it poor surf, so while there’s energy, the quality is lacking. Not a standout spot for a paddle – the setup might look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Now, the real standout is Friday the 18th afternoon. The swell drops to a cleaner 5ft from the SE, but the period stretches out to 9 seconds, giving the waves a bit more shape and push. The combined energy is still a decent 331, and with a gentle 9 mph cross-off breeze, the surface is clean. This is the one session in the first week that looks genuinely good. The wave comment says “expect good surf conditions,” so that’s our pick.

A long-period groundswell shows up on Saturday the 19th with a 12-second period and 4ft from the ESE (combined energy 421). For Mooloolaba, which is a beach and reef setup, that long period can make the waves break a bit too straight and fast, so it’s not ideal. Plus the wind swings onshore from the NE at 3 mph in the morning and 9 mph in the afternoon, so the surface gets messy. Sunday the 20th sees the swell drop back to 3ft and the energy plummets. We then hit a real lull from Sunday afternoon through to Wednesday the 23rd – days of tiny wave energy in the 16 to 78 range. The surf is essentially flat.

Another pulse arrives Thursday the 24th with a 6ft ESE swell and 7-second period, combined energy 399. The morning has cross-shore winds creating chop, but the afternoon cleans up with a cross-off from the SE at 9 mph. It’s a marginal call. Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th both hold 6ft to 7ft easterly swells (energy around 328-457), but the cross-shore wind keeps a slight chop on the face. For the second week, the best call is the Thursday the 24th afternoon session – cleaner but still not a standout. The rest of that week looks average at best.

Mooloolaba is an inconsistent break, so a run of ordinary days is pretty normal for this area. If you’re keen, aim for Friday the 18th afternoon as the high point. Rest of the time, keep the board in the car and watch the charts.

Rusty.

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