North Stradbroke - Pt Lookout Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve had a good hard look at the charts for our region, and I gotta be straight with you—this is a tough stretch for Point Lookout. We’re looking at a pretty long dry spell before anything even remotely surfable shows up.

The pattern is dominated by a persistent onshore flow with strong winds. For the first several days, from Monday 17 August right through to the early part of the following week, it’s all cross-offshore breezes in the 15 to 25 mph range, with solid swell up over 5 ft but with short, weak periods around 7 seconds. The combined wave energy is moderate to strong (345 to 499), but the surf is just plain poor—shaped by the wind, no power. Just look at it and move on.

Friday 21 August morning is the first tiny glimmer. The wind drops right off to glassy, with a light NE breeze at just 3 mph. Swell drops to 4 ft from the east, period still short at 8 seconds. Combined energy is moderate (183). The report says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” which I’ll take as a 1 out of 10, but honestly, on a glassy morning with some small waves, you could have a quiet, clean session to yourself. After that it’s back to poor surf for days.

Then there’s a real gap—nothing worth paddling out for from Saturday 22 August all the way through to Sunday 30 August. The waves get smaller, the winds turn onshore or messy, and the energy drops right out (down to 58 at one point). Sun 23 August morning offers a little offshore SSE wind and 3 ft swell, but again, just “surfable waves but very ordinary.” Not a standout.

If you’re holding out for something, the best bet in the whole 16-day window is Friday 21 August morning. It’s the only time we get glassy conditions with small but rideable waves. The swell is 4 ft from the E, period 8 seconds, combined energy 183. It’s not big, it’s not powerful, but it’s clean and there won’t be a crowd. Crowds are listed as “sometimes” at Pt Lookout, but on a Friday morning with such weak surf, you’ll likely have the place to yourself.

Past that, from 31 August into 1 September, we see a bit of a swell pulse with longer periods (12-13 seconds) from the E/ESE, but it’s all cross-on or onshore wind, and the surf quality is still poor. The energy climbs back up (434), but the wind ruins it. Not one for the paddle.

Overall, this is a lean run. For Point Lookout (QLD), there’s really only one morning worth a look: Friday 21 August, early. After that, I’d be doing something else.

– Rusty

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