North Stradbroke - Pt Lookout Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. It’s been pretty bleak for a while, but we’ve got a bit of a wait before the magic shows up at North Stradbroke – Pt Lookout. This is a point break that’s fairly exposed to the east, and it’s a consistent spot overall—so when it’s on, it’s on. But we’re looking at a long, flat run to start.

There’s basically nothing worth paddling out for from Saturday 12 September all the way through to Thursday 24 September. That’s nearly two weeks of small, weak swell—mostly under 3ft—with poor surf conditions and a lot of wind. The early stuff is all short-period, crummy ESE swell, barely 3ft to 4ft, and the energy readings are mostly in the 30 to 117 mark (weak). Winds are either cross-off or just messy, and the forecast keeps scoring it a zero. Even Wednesday morning the 16th shows a 8ft SE swell but with a 34 mph cross-off near gale—not surfable, that’s more like a kite session if anything.

Then we hit a bit of a turning point. Thursday 17 September morning has a solid 6ft SE swell at 9 seconds, with 28 mph offshore winds out of the south. That’s big, powerful—energy is 639 (strong). It’s clean but that kind of size and wind strength makes it only for the experienced crew. Thursday afternoon bumps to 8ft SE with the same strong offshore wind (28 mph), and the energy jumps to 890 (very strong). Again, expert-only territory, and the "poor surf conditions" tag suggests tricky tides or something else making it less than perfect.

Friday 18 September is the first real standout that’s more accessible. Morning brings 6ft SE swell at 9 seconds, with a 19 mph offshore from the south and clean conditions. Energy is 525 (strong). This is proper point break material—offshore wind, decent size, and a south swell that should wrap in nicely. The crowd factor is "sometimes", so you might have a few out, but with a bit of size, it should spread them out. It’s a solid intermediate wave. The afternoon eases to 6ft with lighter cross-off winds, still clean, still good.

After that, the energy drops off again. Saturday 19 September has a long-period 5ft ESE swell at 11 seconds (groundswell), but the wind turns cross-on and the energy drops to 532. That long period can make it a bit straight at the beach, but Pt Lookout is a point, so it should handle it. Still, the wind isn’t doing us favours. Sunday 20 September onward is back to tiny, poor stuff—1ft to 3ft, mostly onshore, no real juice.

There’s one more glimmer right at the end. Friday 25 September morning—a full two weeks out, so keep an eye on it. That’s the real highlight. 5ft ENE swell at 8 seconds, clean with light 6 mph cross-off winds from the ESE, and energy of 311 (moderate). The forecast says "expect good surf conditions" and scores it a 2—the only decent score in the whole run. It’s not giant, but it’s clean, rideable, and likely uncrowded. For a point break that’s been dead for two weeks, this is the window you want. Saturday 26 September is smaller and cross-on, and Sunday 27 September morning is glassy with 3ft ENE at 8 seconds—light winds, no chop, very clean but tiny. Good for a longboard if you’re keen.

Overall, the water temp was 71°F with a normal anomaly on the 12th, so it’s about average for this time of year—no worries on that front.

So, bottom line: it’s a long, flat stretch for nearly two weeks, then a couple of solid days for the pros around the 17th-18th, and the real sweet spot for everyone else is Friday 25 September morning at Pt Lookout. That’s the one to circle. Stay patient, and check the forecasts closer to the date.

Rusty.

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