North Stradbroke - Pt Lookout Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey, Rusty here. Let’s be straight: this 16-day stretch for the Point Lookout area is a rough one for anyone looking to paddle out. There’s a big dry spell right at the start, and we don’t get anything worth mentioning until the end of the first week. The main problem is the wind – it’s howling from the SSE and SE, mostly strong at 30-40 km/h, which just ruins any chance of a decent wave. There’s swell around for a few days, but with that breeze, it’s more for the kite crowd than the surfers.

The first bit of size shows up on Sunday, August 16th. We’re looking at a 5 ft swell from the SE, but it’s a short 7-second period and a brutal 40 km/h offshore wind. The combined wave energy is a moderate 252, but the waves will be a mess and hard to paddle into. Not a session to chase.

Monday, August 17th, brings the biggest swell of the forecast: 7 ft from the ESE, still with that short 7-second period. The energy jumps to a strong 405, but the wind is a strong 40 km/h cross-off. For anyone who isn’t an expert, 7 ft with that kind of wind is too big and too ugly.

We finally get a break on Thursday, August 20th. The wind drops to a gentle 15 km/h cross-off, and the swell sits at a manageable 4 ft from the SE with an 8-second period and solid 457 combined energy. The report calls it "marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions." It’s the only session scoring a 1/10, which tells you how tough it is. You might find a clean one, but it’ll be a grind.

The second week turns smaller and more chaotic. Another moment to watch is Sunday, August 23rd, in the morning. The swell is a tiny 3 ft from the ENE with a 7-second period, but the wind shifts to a clean 15 km/h offshore out of the south. Wave energy is weak at 91. The report says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." It’s a 1/10, meaning you could catch a wave, but you’ll be working for tiny, weak ones.

After that, it’s a long haul of tiny swell and onshore or cross-onshore winds. A few mornings on the 25th, 26th, and 27th of August have strong offshore winds (up to 45 km/h), but the swell is a pathetic 1 ft to 3 ft. It’s glassy on the surface, but it’s a paddle for nothing. The period on the 27th afternoon spikes to a very long 15 seconds on a tiny 1 ft SE swell – that’s just deep ocean energy with no height to ride.

The only real standout? Honestly, there isn’t one. If you’re desperate, the Sunday, August 23rd morning at North Stradbroke - Pt Lookout is the best of a bad lot. You’ll get a 3 ft ENE swell, but that gentle 15 km/h offshore south wind will give you the cleanest surface of the whole outlook. Crowds are possible here, so expect some company, but the waves will be clean and weak. The water temp is about 69°F, which is average for this time of year.

Bottom line: a long run of poor conditions. For the locals, this is the kind of pattern where you just watch the wind and wait. Forecasts can change, but right now, I’d leave the board on the rack.

- Rusty

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