North Stradbroke - Pt Lookout Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve been staring at the charts for Point Lookout on North Stradbroke, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough run ahead. We’re looking at a solid two-week stretch, but the first week is pretty much a write-off. The real action, if you can call it that, doesn’t kick in until the tail end of the second week.

For the first six days, from Monday the 13th through to Saturday the 18th of July, it’s grim. We’ve got tiny waves, most of them under 2 ft, with weak energy readings. The wind is all over the shop – cross, onshore, even howling offshore at times, but the swell just isn’t there to make it worthwhile. You’d be fighting a losing battle. There’s a pulse of bigger swell around Thursday the 16th and Friday the 17th, with waves hitting 6 ft to 7 ft, but the period is short at 7 to 8 seconds, and the wind is screaming 25-31 mph. That’s not surf, that’s a washing machine. For a point break like Pt Lookout, that short-period chop will be a mess. I’d say this setup actually looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Forget about it.

Then we hit Sunday the 19th of July. The swell jumps to 10 ft from the ESE with a 10-second period, and the combined energy is huge – hitting 1403 – but the wind is still a nasty 31 mph cross-off. The waves are there, but it’s a beast. At over 8 ft, this is expert-only territory, and with that wind, it’s going to be a battle just to get out. Conditions are labeled ‘poor’ for a reason.

The best on offer in this entire 16-day window is a brief window from Monday the 20th to Tuesday the 21st of July. We’ve got a solid 7 ft to 6 ft swell from the ESE/E, with energy readings around 875 to 1015 – that’s moderate to strong energy. The wind drops to a more manageable 22 mph cross-off, and the period sits at 9 to 10 seconds. This is a groundswell with a decent length, and for Pt Lookout, which needs that east swell direction (optimum is E), this could clean up into some proper lines. It’s still going to be lumpy and windy, but it’s the only window that scores a ‘marginal’ rating instead of the dreaded ‘poor’. Water temp is around 71°, which is about average for the time of year.

After that, it all fades. We drop back to 4 ft by Wednesday the 22nd, and the last few days from the 22nd to the 28th see tiny, weak swell with 8-9 second periods and light winds. Thursday the 23rd and Friday the 24th offer some small, clean 3 ft waves, but the energy is barely there (100-106). It’s surfable if you’re desperate, but it’s ordinary.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a total loss. The standout is the 20th to 21st of July, but it’s only for strong intermediates or experts who can handle strong wind and solid, lumpy swell. Crowds at Pt Lookout are ‘sometimes’, so you might have some company, but with conditions like that, I doubt it’ll be packed. For the rest, it’s a long, quiet stretch. Hang in there.

Rusty.

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