Mooloolaba Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s talk about what’s on offer at Mooloolaba for the next couple of weeks.

Right now, the surf is tiny and ordinary. We’re looking at a long stretch of small, weak energy through the first week, with nothing really worth getting excited about until we hit the middle of the month. There’s a gap of several days where the waves just aren’t delivering – small swell, short periods, and not enough push to make it worth paddling out.

The first standout comes much later, on the morning of Thursday, 14 August. The swell starts to build, with a solid 6ft groundswell from the southeast, with a period of 10 seconds and moderate wave energy (674). The wind is cross-offshore from the south at 12 mph, keeping the surface clean. It’s a beach and reef setup here, and while the swell direction isn’t a perfect match for the optimum northeast, the size and wind combo make it the best of a fairly quiet run. Still, 6ft is getting a bit much for beginners.

Then, on Saturday morning, 15 August, the real power arrives. A big southeast groundswell pushes in at 13ft, with a very long period of 11 seconds and strong wave energy (5339). That’s expert territory – way too big for most. The wind is cross-offshore from the south at 16 mph, keeping it clean, but the size and the longer period mean it’ll be breaking fast and heavy. This is one for the experienced crew only, and with the beach and reef setup, it could be more suited to kite surfing than a standard paddle session. Rain showers are likely too.

That swell hangs around into Sunday, 16 August, still solid at 7ft from the east-southeast with a very long 12-second period and strong energy (1195), but by then the wind is picking up and conditions get more challenging. The following week sees the swell slowly drop, with cleaner but smaller waves returning by Thursday morning, 20 August – a nice 4ft southeast groundswell, 12-second period, light cross-offshore breeze, and moderate energy (430). That’s a decent option for a more relaxed session.

Water temperature is about average for the time of year – nothing unusual there.

Bottom line: the first week is flat and forgettable. The best window is the morning of Thursday, 14 August for moderate-sized clean waves, and Saturday, 15 August for the big stuff – but only if you’ve got the skills for it.

Rusty

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