Mooloolaba Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the surf ahead for Mooloolaba. The short story is this: we’ve got a small, clean window early, but then things get real small and real ordinary. If you’re keen, you’d better get out there in the first few days, because after that, it’s a waiting game for the next pulse.

Right off the bat, the Monday morning (17th) is the standout, but it’s not perfect. We’ve got a 7ft swell out of the ESE with a 7-second period, and the combined energy is sitting at 377 – that’s moderate wave energy, so there’s a bit of push behind it. The wind is a cross-off SE breeze at 15 mph, which will keep things clean. The water is 68°, which is a bit colder than usual for this time of year, so you might want a thicker wetsuit. This is a beach and reef set-up, and it’s inconsistent, so you’ll be waiting for the sets. It’s not huge, but it’s the best we’ll see for a while.

Monday afternoon turns a bit marginal as the swell drops slightly and the rain moves in. The energy’s still moderate at 394, but the conditions aren't as clean. Tuesday (18th) is much the same – 6ft ESE, 8-second period, moderate energy around 350, but the rain keeps things a bit messy.

Now, Wednesday (19th) morning is your second-best call. The swell is still 6ft, period bumps to 8 seconds, and the energy jumps to 449 – the strongest of the whole run. The wind drops to a gentle 9 mph cross-off, and it’s clear skies. The forecast says “expect good surf conditions,” and for a spot like this that doesn’t break often, I’d be on it early. It’s a bit too big for beginners at 6ft, but fine for anyone with a bit of experience. The sets will be a bit more lined up with that slightly longer period.

After that, Thursday (20th) the swell starts to fade. 4ft in the morning, energy still moderate at 479, but it’s dropping. By Friday (21st), we’re down to just over 4ft with the energy dropping into the low 100s – weak. From Saturday (22nd) onwards, it’s a long, slow fade into poor territory. The swell gets under 3ft, the periods stay short at 7-8 seconds, and the energy readings drop to double digits, which is weak. There’s a bit of a bump on the 27th with the swell pushing back to 3ft, but it’s still weak energy and the comment is “poor surf conditions.”

The light winds on the 23rd morning will give you a glassy surface, but there’s barely any swell to push through it. The second week is a real struggle. Most days we’re looking at ankle-biters. There’s a couple of mornings with clean conditions thanks to cross-off winds, but with waves that small, it’s not really worth paddling out for.

So, here’s the plan: you’ve got two windows – Wednesday morning the 19th is the pick, with Monday the 17th a close second. After that, it’s just a waiting game for the next real swell. Keep an eye on the charts, because it doesn’t look like it stays flat for long around here.

Rusty out.

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