North Stradbroke - Pt Lookout Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll level with ya – the next couple of weeks at North Stradbroke’s Pt Lookout are mostly a write-off for proper paddle surfing. We’ve got a long dry spell ahead before anything worth gettin’ wet for shows up.

The water temp’s sittin’ right on the money for this time of year at 71°, so no surprises there.

Right now, through the rest of today and all of next week, it’s tiny. We’re talkin’ knee-high mush at best, with the swell energy barely tickin’ over. The wind’s all over the shop – some clean moments, but the swell’s just not there. You’ll be floatin’ more than ridin’. That stretches out for a solid week and a half of pretty much nothin’ doin’.

Then, around Thursday the 16th, things get a bit wild – but not in a good way. A big southerly blow kicks in, and we see a sudden jump in size: 7 ft on Thursday morning, rampin’ to 10 ft by the afternoon. The combined energy hits 631 (moderate) then 1376 (strong). Problem is, the wind’s howlin’ at 25 mph to 34 mph from the south-southeast, straight offshore. That’s clean, but it’s a near gale – you’ll be fightin’ to get out and the waves’ll be blown-out, hard to paddle into. The period’s short too, around 8-9 seconds, so it’s messy, onshore-feelin’ energy. This is expert-only, and even then, it’s more of a survival session. The setup’s more interestin’ for kite surfing than a paddle board.

That big, raw energy sticks around through the weekend and into Monday the 20th. Swells stay between 7 ft and 12 ft, with combined energy in the four-digit range (strong to very strong). Wind’s still hammerin’ offshore from the south at 25-37 mph. It’s clean-lookin’ but brutal. Not recommended unless you’ve got a death wish or a kite.

Now, the standout – and it’s the only real highlight in the whole run – comes on Tuesday the 21st of July. The morning session is the one to circle. Swell drops to a manageable 6 ft from the ESE, with a period of 10 seconds, and the combined energy is a solid 791 (moderate). The wind swings light from the southwest at 6 mph, makin’ it cross-offshore and clean. That’s your best bet – proper point-break lines, shoulder-to-head-high, with some shape. This is intermediate-friendly, though the bigger sets might be a handful for beginners. The optimum swell direction is east, and this ESE swell is close enough to do the job. Crowds are possible at Pt Lookout, so get in early.

After that, it fades fast. Wednesday and Thursday the 22nd/23rd drop back to 3 ft or less, with clean but tiny surf. The wind stays okay, but there’s no juice.

The very end of the run, around Sunday the 26th and Monday the 27th, we get a tease of long-period groundswell – 13 to 14 seconds – but it’s only 1 ft to 2 ft. The energy is weak (72-134). That’s a whisper, not a wave. At Pt Lookout, a long-period swell that small will just slide past the point without bendin’ in.

So, bottom line: the only real window is Tuesday morning the 21st. Everything else is either flat, blown out, or way too big and angry. Keep your eyes on the forecast for that Tuesday – it’s the one.

Rusty.

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