North Stradbroke - Pt Lookout Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here.

Look, I’ll level with you – the next couple of weeks are a mixed bag for Point Lookout. There’s some decent swell on the horizon, but you’ll need to be patient. The first real standout is a long way off, but it’s worth waiting for.

We start off with a pretty quiet run. From Sunday the 26th of July right through to the end of the month, it’s small and weak. The best of that early period is Sunday morning, with a tiny 2ft easterly swell and a gentle offshore breeze from the south that’ll keep things clean – but the energy is barely there (65). You’ll get a few ankle-biters, nothing to get excited about. The rest of that week is mostly poor, with onshore or cross-off winds and hardly any push. The odd session on Thursday the 30th of July morning has a bit of life with a 2ft SSE swell and clean offshore wind, but it’s still only small.

Then we hit a gap. From Friday the 31st of July through to Monday the 3rd of August, the swell stays tiny or inconsistent. There’s a real dry spell here – the waves are just not happening. The 1st of August is particularly frustrating; strong offshore winds are blowing like crazy, making it hard to even paddle into the knee-high dribble.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Come Sunday the 2nd of August, we see a pulse of southeasterly swell pushing in. By morning, it’s 4ft at 9 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 311 – that’s solid moderate energy. The wind is fresh offshore from the south, so it’ll be clean and lined up. This is a point break, so that south-southeast direction is a nice fit for the optimum easterly. It’s not the biggest, but it’s the first real sign of life. The afternoon builds to 5ft, still with fresh offshore wind. Still, I’d call it marginal – the period is short, so it’ll be a bit lumpy and won’t have that long-period push.

The real standout is on Monday the 10th of August. Monday morning sees a 5ft swell from the south-southeast, with a period of 9 seconds and the combined energy hitting 406 – that’s a proper moderate swell with some grunt. The wind is light and cross-off from the southwest, so it’ll be clean and glassy. This is the best of the run. For an intermediate surfer, this is your window. The waves will be a bit meaty for beginners at 5ft, but for anyone comfortable, it’s a goer. The direction is a touch off the optimum, but it’s still pushing into the point nicely.

Tuesday the 4th through to the 9th of August is mostly forgettable – small, windy, or both. The 6th of August has a 5ft southerly swell, but it’s got strong offshore winds that make paddling a battle, and the period is a short 6 seconds, so it’s messy. The 7th of August is all long-period groundswell (17-18 seconds) but only 0.3ft – that’s a tease. It’s not breaking.

So, the pick of the lot is Monday the 10th of August, with that 5ft SSE swell, clean conditions, and solid energy. The Sunday the 2nd of August is a decent warm-up, but it’s not as good.

Water temperature is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual.

Crowds? Point Lookout can get busy, and with a decent swell forecast, expect a few locals out. But it’s a big enough point to spread out.

Stay patient, mate. The waiting game pays off.

- Rusty

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