Mooloolaba Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this stretch ahead for Mooloolaba is a tough one. We’ve got a long, lean run of so-so conditions and only a couple of fleeting windows where you might actually want to paddle out. The whole 16-day outlook is mostly onshore, choppy or just too small to get excited about. The first real surf doesn’t show until Friday the 18th, and even then, it’s not a full day of glory.

We start with nothing much worth chasing. Tuesday the 15th has a tiny 3 ft easterly swell with a short 6-second period and combined energy sitting at just 55 – weak and flat. The wind is glassy in the morning, but the wave size is barely a ripple. Wednesday and Thursday the 16th and 17th see some size bump up – 8 ft on Wednesday arvo with 533 combined energy, and 7 ft Thursday – but every session is marred by strong cross-offshore winds from the SSE at 16 to 22 mph, making for clean faces but messy, blown-out lines. That’s more of a kite session than a paddle.

Then Friday the 18th morning is your standout. Swell holds at 5 ft from the southeast, 8-second period, with combined energy at 445 (moderate wave energy). The wind is a gentle cross-offshore from the SSE at 9 mph, keeping the face clean. The surf report calls it “good surf conditions” and that’s the one time I’d point you to Mooloolaba – a beach-and-reef setup that can handle a bit of energy. Just know the crowds here can be a problem; it’s often busy, so get in early. After lunch, the wind swings east and goes cross-shore, dropping the quality fast.

From Saturday the 19th right through to the end of the period, it’s a sad story. Swell drops to under 2 ft for days, with onshore winds and combined energy barely cracking 60. We get a small bump around Tuesday the 22nd afternoon with 6 ft from the SE and 297 combined energy, but the wind is cross-off and the conditions are called “marginal.” Wednesday the 23rd holds similar – 6 ft, clean but marginal. Then from the 24th onward, it’s all cross or onshore winds, with swell sitting around 5-6 ft but chopped up by easterly breezes. The only flicker of interest is Tuesday the 29th morning when the wind goes light cross from the WNW, but the swell is only 5 ft and the energy is moderate. Not worth planning a trip around.

Bottom line: Friday morning the 18th is your best bet, with clean 5 ft surf from the southeast and a gentle cross-offshore breeze. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or too messy. Keep an eye on the charts – it tends not to stay this poor forever.

Rusty.

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