The Groin (Noosa) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s look at what we’ve got for the next couple of weeks.

The forecast is a pretty bleak one for the first half of the period, with a long quiet stretch of tiny, weak surf and poor winds. The only real glimmer of hope comes in the second week, but even that has its own issues.

The stint starts off with a tiny, weak 3 ft east swell at The Groin (Noosa) on Tuesday the 15th of September. The morning session on Tuesday is glassy—dead calm 0 mph wind—and the water temp is about average for this time of year. While the 3 ft waves are surfable, the energy is next to nothing (59), and the swell period is a short 6 seconds, meaning those waves will be fat and quick to crumble. It’s not really anything to get excited about, just a limp knee-high dribble.

Then we hit a big, long lull. From Tuesday afternoon all the way through to the 22nd of September, the surf is basically non-existent. We’re talking 0.3 ft to 2 ft of swell each day, with most of the wind coming from the SSE or cross-off, keeping it clean but totally flat. That’s a solid week of nothing worth paddling out for.

Things finally start to show a pulse on Wednesday the 23rd of September. The morning brings rain showers, no swell recorded, and 12 mph cross-off wind. But the afternoon of the 23rd is where it gets a little interesting. Swell jumps to 7 ft from the ESE with a short period of 7 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at 404, which is the first real bump we’ve seen. Problem is, with 16 mph cross-off wind, the wind direction is good for a clean face at The Groin, but that 7 ft is pushing into the “too big for beginners” range, and the short period means it’ll be a bit messy and hard to read. The water temp is still about average here.

Over the next few days—Thursday the 24th and Friday the 25th—the swell holds around 6-6 ft from the east, but the wind shifts to cross and cross-on, creating moderate cross-chop and choppy conditions. The energy stays moderate (around 303-362), but the surf quality is poor. This is a beach and breakwater setup, so with the size and the strong onshore wind, it starts looking more appealing to kite surfers than paddle surfers. The periods are short, only 7-8 seconds, so not much shape.

Saturday the 26th and Sunday the 27th of September still have moderate swell around 5-6 ft from the east, with energy in the mid-300s to 441, but the winds are cross-on and onshore, keeping it choppy. Monday the 28th sees similar sized swell (6 ft) but with stronger NNE onshore winds up to 19 mph, making it even messier. Not a standout at all.

We get a little relief on Tuesday the 29th of September. The swell drops slightly to 5 ft from the east, still short period, but the wind swings to WNW at 6 mph, giving us a light cross-shore breeze. The energy is moderate (277), and the conditions are only described as “marginal.” It’s not clean, but it’s the least ugly of a bad bunch for that mid-week window.

The final day in the forecast, Wednesday the 30th of September, brings a 4 ft ENE swell with a moderate 8-second period and a clean cross-off wind from the SSE at 9 mph. The energy is 232—moderate. This gives us “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” It’s cleaner than anything else in that last week, but the size is dropping back down, and it’s nothing special.

So, to sum it up: the absolute best on offer is the afternoon of the 23rd of September for the biggest, most powerful swell we’ll see, but it’s rough around the edges. Otherwise, the whole period is a struggle. The Groin (Noosa) is a fairly consistent spot, but the timing just isn’t with us here. Hang tight, keep an eye on the forecast, things will change.

Rusty

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