North Stradbroke - Pt Lookout Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for North Stradbroke – Pt Lookout.

We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag over the next two weeks. The first few days are a bit of a write-off, but there’s a couple of windows worth keeping an eye on. The big story is a solid pulse of swell around the 16th and 17th, but the wind is gonna be a handful.

Thursday, July 9th kicks off with a clean 6 ft SE swell, period 11 seconds, and a fresh offshore breeze out of the south. The combined energy is moderate, sitting at 968. It’s surfable, but there’s a note about questionable tide conditions, so it’s not the best it could be. The water’s 71°, which is about average for the time of year.

Look, the rest of this week and into the next is slim pickings. From Friday the 10th right through to Wednesday the 15th, we’re looking at very small, weak surf. Swell drops to 4 ft or less, and the energy tanks, getting down to 8 on the 15th. Winds are light and mostly cross-off, but there’s just not enough oomph. You’d be scratching for a knee-high dribbler. That’s a solid 6-day gap of nothing worthwhile.

Now, things get interesting on Thursday, July 16th. The morning brings a 5 ft SSE swell, period 9 seconds, with a moderate south wind blowing offshore. The energy kicks up to 363. It’s labeled as “expect good surf conditions,” and the wind is offshore, so it’ll be clean. This is a decent option for a surf.

But the real beast is Friday, July 17th. We’ve got a 7 ft SE swell (morning) building to 8 ft (afternoon) with a period of 12 seconds. The energy is massive – 1185 in the morning, 1427 in the afternoon. That’s strong, powerful groundswell. However, the wind is screaming out of the SSE at 37 to 43 mph. It’s offshore, but it’s gale force. The report says “gale force offshore and extremely hard to paddle into.” This is expert-only territory. The wave face will be blown out and the paddle out a battle. It’s more of a spectacle than a session for most.

Saturday, July 18th is even bigger, with 12 ft SSE swell and a near gale offshore. The energy is 4054. That’s a serious, dangerous ocean. Only for the hardcore, experienced crew.

After that, from Sunday the 19th onward, the swell drops back down to 4 ft and smaller, with winds easing. The energy falls off to a few hundred. It’s all very ordinary, small and clean but not really worth a trip.

The standouts: Honestly, the best chance for a decent, clean surf is Thursday morning, July 16th. It’s the only day with a decent swell, clean offshore wind, and manageable conditions. The big swell on the 17th and 18th is too wind-whipped to be fun for anyone but the most committed.

So, for this stretch, don’t get your hopes up for the first week. Keep your eyes on Thursday the 16th for a morning paddle. The rest is a waiting game.

Rusty.

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