North Stradbroke - Pt Lookout Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on offer for North Stradbroke Island – specifically Point Lookout. Gotta be straight with you, the next 16 days are a bit of a mixed bag. We’re looking at a long stretch of small, messy, or blown-out conditions, with a couple of brief windows that might be worth a paddle.

The water's sitting at 69°F right now, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The action starts off slow. Thursday the 6th is a write-off with tiny 2ft easterly windswell and a poor 8-second period. The energy is weak (66), and a cross-shore breeze isn't doing us any favours. Friday morning the 7th is a bit better – we get a clean 3ft swell from the ENE, but it's only 7 seconds. The cross-offshore wind cleans it up, but it’s still pretty ordinary. That afternoon, the wind swings onshore and chops it up.

Saturday the 8th morning is the first real standout. We’ve got a clean 3ft swell from the east, with a gentle offshore from the SSW. The energy bumps up to a moderate 117, and the wave comment says it’s “surfable” – but honestly, with that offshore wind and a 3ft swell on the Saturday afternoon showing moderate energy of 157, it’s still just ordinary. The real highlight is Sunday morning the 9th. The swell is 3ft from the east, period stretches to 9 seconds, and the energy is solid at 179. But the best part? Glassy conditions. A light WNW breeze leaves the ocean like a mirror. That’s the cleanest window in the first week – but it’s still a 3ft wave, so don’t expect bombs.

Sunday afternoon turns nasty with a strong onshore northerly hitting 16 mph, and the rest of the week goes downhill. Monday the 10th is a total loss with 28 mph cross-shore winds. Tuesday the 11th offers a clean morning with a 2ft east swell and a cross-offshore breeze, but the energy is only 102. It’s surfable, but barely.

Wednesday the 12th gets wild. The swell jumps to 5ft from the north in the afternoon, but it’s a 6-second windswell with a near gale onshore wind. The energy is moderate (238), but the quality is terrible – that’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddler’s wave.

Thursday the 13th and Friday the 14th are small and clean, but tiny. Saturday the 15th morning is a glimmer of hope: 3ft from the SSE with a 10-second period, clean cross-offshore wind, and a solid energy of 244. It’s the best of a bad bunch for that week.

Then we get into the second week, and it’s a different story. A big pulse of swell hits on Sunday the 16th. The morning shows 8ft from the SE, but the period is a poor 7 seconds. The wind is a strong offshore from the south at 28 mph, which keeps the face clean, but that’s a hard paddle into 28 mph wind. The energy is strong at 523, but the wave comment says “poor surf conditions” – that’s because it’s blown out and hard to catch. That afternoon is even worse with a near gale. This is expert-only territory, and even then, it’s not great.

Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th keep the energy high (411 to 548) with 6ft to 7ft swell, but the wind is a fresh to strong offshore, making it clean but treacherous. The swell period is still short (8 seconds), so the waves will be lumpy and hard to time. By Wednesday the 19th, the swell drops to 5ft, and rain showers move in. The wind is a fresh offshore, but the energy is still moderate (394). Again, it’s clean but not user-friendly.

The best bet in the whole 16-day window, and the only time I’d really get excited, is Sunday morning the 9th. The 3ft east swell, 9-second period, moderate energy (179), and that glassy, clean surface – that’s the one to aim for. The second standout is Saturday morning the 15th, with the 3ft SSE swell, 10-second period, and a clean cross-offshore breeze. Crowds are possible at Point Lookout, but with conditions this ordinary, it might be quieter than usual.

Bottom line: We’ve got a long gap of small, choppy, or windy days, with a few clean windows that are worth a look if you’re desperate. The big swell at the end is for experts only and won’t be pretty. Keep an eye on the forecasts, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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