Mooloolaba Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve got to be straight with you – the next 16 days are looking pretty grim for a proper surf around Mooloolaba. It’s a beach and reef setup that’s best with swell from the NE, but that’s just not happening. We’re stuck with a weak, easterly windswell for the bulk of the run, and most of it is tiny or junky. Don’t get your hopes up.

Let’s walk through it. Starting Thursday the 13th and right through the weekend, it’s mostly flat, with waves around 1.0 ft to 2 ft (energy a pathetic 28 to 51). The wind is clean or offshore on the 13th morning, with a 12 mph SW blowing, so it’d be glassy-looking, but there’s just no power. The water is sitting at 68°, which is about 2° cooler than normal for this time of year – a bit nippy, but nothing wild.

Then around Sunday the 16th afternoon, we see a bump in swell height up to 5 ft, but it’s coming from the SE with a short, crumbly period of 6 seconds and moderate energy (214). The wind is a cross-offshore 16 mph SSE, so it’s clean-ish, but that short period means the waves will be fat and weak. It’s still rated as poor surf.

Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th bring the biggest swell of the window – we’re talking 7 ft to 8 ft from the ESE, with periods still short at 7 to 8 seconds. The energy jumps to 423 and even 654, which sounds meaty, but the quality is poor. The wind is a solid 16 mph SE, cross-offshore, so it’s not onshore rubbish, but that short-period swell at a beach and reef break will be a messy, choppy closeout. This is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing unless you’re a solid expert who loves a battle.

From Wednesday the 19th onward, the swell drops back. We get a few mornings with 3 ft to 5 ft, but the period stays short (8 seconds) and the wind is cross-off or cross-shore. The one glimmer is Friday the 21st afternoon: clean 5 ft from the ESE, 8-second period, with a gentle 9 mph SE breeze – that’s got moderate energy (492) and is the only time the forecast hints at “good surf conditions.” It’s a brief window, and the size is manageable for intermediates, but it’s not a standout.

Saturday the 22nd morning would be glassy with a 3 mph SE breeze and 4 ft waves, but the energy is low (167) and the period is short – just a pretty but powerless lineup. The rest of the second week is a slow fade into tiny, weak waves (1.0 ft to 3 ft) with occasional offshore breezes, but nothing worth paddling out for.

The long-range stuff around the 24th to 26th is promising in that the wind looks offshore from the SSW or glassy, but the swell is tiny (2 ft to 3 ft) and weak (63 to 139 energy). You’d be bobbing around waiting for a knee-high ripple.

There’s no single standout session here. The best on offer is Friday 21st afternoon (21 August), where you get clean 5 ft surf with a gentle cross-offshore wind and moderate energy. It’s not a classic Mooloolaba day, but if you’re desperate, that’s your pick.

Stay patient, mates. It won’t stay this poor forever.

- Rusty

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