Mooloolaba Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight up – the next couple of weeks at Mooloolaba are gonna test your patience. This is a run of mostly mediocre to poor conditions, with only a couple of fleeting moments that might get you out of bed. We’re looking at a stretch where the surf is small, the wind is often messy, and the quality just isn’t there for most of it.

First up, Monday the 7th of September, Mooloolaba. It’s flat and weak, with a tiny 1ft easterly swell, period around 9 seconds, and cross-off winds from the southeast at 9 mph. Combined energy is a meagre 32 – barely a ripple. The water temp is sitting at 70°, which is about normal for this time of year. Honestly, it's a write-off.

Tuesday the 8th, the swell bumps up slightly to 2ft from the ENE, but the period is a crummy 7 seconds, and there’s a solid 16 mph cross-off wind in the afternoon. The morning might be surfable with a light breeze, but it’s very ordinary.

Wednesday the 9th morning is clean and small – 3ft from the SE – but with a 5-second period, it’s just bumpy and weak. Not a lot to get excited about.

Thursday the 10th is where we get a real spike. The afternoon sees a 10ft swell from the SE, with a period of 8 seconds and combined energy up to 949 (moderate-strong). But here’s the kicker – the wind is screaming out of the SSE at 22 mph. It’s cross-off, but that’s a fresh breeze, and the report says “poor surf conditions.” That much swell at a beach-and-reef setup like Mooloolaba, with that wind, is more likely to be a blown-out mess. Not for beginners – over 8ft, it’s expert-only territory.

Friday the 11th drops to a 7ft SE swell, period 8 seconds, energy 482. Wind is still cross-off at 12 mph. It’s described as marginal, with questionable tide conditions. Saturday the 12th keeps the 6ft SE swell, but the wind is still a moderate cross-off. Both days are, bluntly, not great.

Sunday the 13th through Monday the 14th are small and weak again – 4ft down to 2ft – with light winds. Monday morning the 14th actually shows a gentle offshore wind from the south at 9 mph, with a 2ft SE swell. It’s clean, but tiny. Combined energy is just 94.

The rest of the week into the second week just gets sad. Tuesday the 15th is tiny at 3ft from the east. Wednesday the 16th pumps up to 6ft from the SE again, but the wind is a moderate cross-off, and the conditions are described as poor. Thursday the 17th is a mess – morning has a pathetic 0.3ft NE swell, then the afternoon jumps to 6ft from the SE, period only 6 seconds, and it’s a cross-shore chop.

Friday the 18th brings a 5ft ESE swell with a cross-onshore wind – just not worth it. Saturday the 19th morning shows a 3ft ESE swell with a period of 10 seconds, but the wind is cross-onshore from the NNW at 12 mph. That longer period would normally be good for points and reefs, but Mooloolaba is a beach and reef mix, and it’s likely to break straight. Not recommended.

Sunday the 20th morning is probably the only real standout in the whole 16 days – a clean 2ft ESE swell, period 10 seconds, light cross-off breeze from the SE at 6 mph. Combined energy is 110 (weak). It’s small but clean. If you’ve got a longboard, that’s your window. After that, Monday the 21st and Tuesday the 22nd are onshore slop with tiny, weak swell.

For the crowd situation – Mooloolaba can get crowded often, but with this forecast, you’ll have plenty of room. The break is inconsistent anyway, so don’t bank on much.

So, the best on offer is the morning of Sunday the 20th, when the conditions line up for a clean, small wave. Other than that, you’re better off checking the forecast again in a few days. The run is long and poor, but it never stays bad forever.

Rusty.

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