North Stradbroke - Pt Lookout Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here, and I've gotta be straight with ya – it's a tough run ahead for North Stradbroke's Point Lookout. The next week and a half is looking pretty average, but there's a glimmer of hope way out in the forecast.

The story starts with a weak east swell hanging around, but it's short-period stuff, only 7 to 8 seconds, so it's not packing much punch. The combined wave energy is weak, mostly under 100 to a couple hundred, so you're looking at small, weak waves. The water temp is sitting at 69°, which is pretty normal for this time of year.

For the first week, from Thursday 20 August all the way through to Tuesday 1 September, it's a real grind. The surf is tiny, mostly under 3ft, and the wind is all over the place. There are a few mornings where it gets clean, like Sunday 23 August morning with a light SW wind creating cross-off conditions and 3ft waves, and Monday 24 August morning with a clean SSE cross-off and 2ft surf. Tuesday 25 August morning even goes glassy, but the swell is still a measly 3ft. These are barely surfable, and the scores reflect that – it's flat, weak, and not worth paddling out for.

Then around Wednesday 2 September, things start to change. The swell picks up a bit, with a 5ft easterly swell and a period stretching to 10 seconds, which is a proper groundswell. The combined energy jumps to 439, which is moderate and a sign of more power. The wind is a strong offshore SSE on Wednesday morning, so the waves will be clean, but a 35 km/h offshore will make it a battle to get out. Not ideal for the average punter.

The real standout isn't until Thursday 3 September morning. The forecast shows a 4ft swell from the east with a 10-second period, and combined energy of 358. The wind is a light ESE cross-off at 10 km/h, creating clean conditions. That's the best on offer in the whole 16-day window. Point Lookout is a point break, so it should handle that longer-period swell well, offering some nice lines. The swell direction from the east is right on the money for this spot. Just keep in mind, the 4ft is a bit small for a point break to really fire, but it's the best we've got by a long shot. Thursday afternoon and Friday 4 September look to get messy again with onshore winds.

So, if you're keen, pencil in Thursday 3 September morning. It's not epic, but it's the only window that looks genuinely fun. The rest of the time, you're better off doing something else.

Rusty.

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