Mooloolaba Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let me go through what’s happening at Mooloolaba in feet and miles per hour.

It’s a pretty dry run to be honest. The surf outlook starts poor and honestly doesn’t get a whole lot better for a while. There’s a big gap of nothingness before anything even gets to a “maybe” category. The first real chance you’d even consider paddling out is Tuesday the 18th, and it’s still rough.

Water temp is around 68°, which is about 2° colder than usual for this time of year, so you’ll want a wetsuit.

Let’s go through the days.

Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th are a total wash – 1 to 2 foot slop, cross-off wind, no energy, nobody out there for a reason.

Monday the 17th pushes up to around 6-7 foot from the ESE, but it’s short-period junk, 7 seconds, so it’s all bumpy and unorganized. Wave energy gets into the 400s, but it’s not surfable.

Tuesday the 18th morning is the first thing I’d call marginal. Swell around 6-7 foot from the ESE, still short period, but at least the cross-off wind from the SE at 15 mph keeps the surface clean. Energy is 482, moderate. This is as good as it gets early on, and that’s not saying much.

Wednesday the 19th has similar size but the wind goes cross-shore in the afternoon, chopping it up.

Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st morning drop the wind way down – Friday morning goes glassy, dead calm. Waves are around 4-5 foot from the E, period 8 seconds, energy in the 250s. That Friday morning window is the cleanest the lineup will be for days. Not great waves, but you won’t be fighting the wind.

From Friday afternoon onward, it’s a flat spell. Swell drops to 1-2 foot, wind shifts onshore or stays cross-off, energy goes weak. The 23rd and 24th have some tiny knee-high slop, but don’t get your hopes up.

The end of the outlook, around the 28th and 29th, sees longer period swell come in – 13 to 14 seconds from the SE, heights around 3 to 4 foot. Energy builds to 387 by Saturday the 29th afternoon, and the wind is cross-off, so it’s cleaner. This is the most promising window in the second week – still small, but better quality.

The true standout? Friday morning the 21st at Mooloolaba – glassy, clean, 4-5 foot from the E. It’s nothing special wave-wise, but you’ll at least enjoy the paddle out.

Overall, this stretch is quiet and ordinary. No big swell, no proper groundswell, just small, short-period leftovers and cross-off wind. It tends not to stay flat forever, and forecasts can always turn, so keep checking.

- Rusty

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