North Stradbroke - Pt Lookout Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve had a proper look at what’s coming up for us over the next couple of weeks, and I’ll be straight with ya – it’s a tough stretch. We’ve got a 16-day window starting now, but honestly, the first several days are a write-off. The good news? There’s a tiny glimmer of hope hidden in there, but ya gotta wait for it.

The run kicks off on Friday the 14th of August with nothing doing – just poor surf with tiny 1ft easterly wind swell and a fresh cross-off breeze. That sets the tone. Day after day, we’re looking at marginal waves or clean, small, poor conditions. The swell stays small, mostly under 3ft, and the wind is consistently cross-off or fresh offshore, which would normally be a blessing, but with no size, it’s just polished puddles.

We finally see a pulse arrive on Sunday the 16th of August. Sunday morning brings a jump to 5ft from the SE, but the period is a short, choppy 7 seconds, and the combined energy is 260 – moderate. Even with offshore wind, it’s still getting a “poor surf conditions” rating. Not our day.

The next real chance is Monday the 17th of August. The swell bumps up to 7ft from the ESE with a 7-second period, and the combined wave energy hits 416 (moderate to strong). The wind is a strong cross-off breeze out of the ESE at 25 mph. That’s a lot of wind, and the short period means it’ll be lumpy. This is more of a kite-surfing day than clean paddle surfing.

Jumping ahead to Wednesday the 19th of August – this is where we get our one true standout. Wednesday afternoon finally looks promising. The swell settles to 3ft from the SE, but the period jumps to a solid 11 seconds – proper groundswell. Combined energy is 318 (moderate). The wind is a gentle cross-off from the SE at 9 mph, so the surface will be clean. This is the best on offer: a long-period SE swell at Point Lookout (North Stradbroke - Pt Lookout). The direction (SE) matches up nicely with the optimum east swell direction, so the point should hold it well. The crowd factor is “sometimes,” so you might have company, but with this setup, it’s worth paddling out for some clean, lined-up waves.

After that, it fades again. Thursday the 20th is back to small and poor, and the rest of the run into late August is a mix of tiny swell and strong winds. Even the last few days of the month are barely a blip, with swell under 2ft and combined energy in the 20s to 90s – very weak. A long, blank run like this is pretty normal for the area when the pattern goes quiet.

Water temp at the first surf mention on the 14th is 69°F, which is about average for this time of year – no anomaly to worry about.

So, if you’re keen, pencil in Wednesday the 19th of August afternoon. That’s your window. It’s not a monster, but it’s clean and has some grunt. The rest of the time? Maybe get the wax off the board and polish the car.

Rusty.

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