North Stradbroke - Pt Lookout Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for North Stradbroke – Pt Lookout over the next couple of weeks. Gotta be straight with you, it’s looking pretty grim for the most part. There’s no real kick-off to the period, and we’re staring down a long stretch of ordinary conditions. The first decent suggestion doesn’t pop up until the Monday morning of the 7th of September, and even then, it’s just a glimmer.

So, the pattern is basically a whole lot of nothing followed by a couple of barely-surfable windows, and then a massive pulse of swell that gets absolutely hammered by howling wind. Not the best news.

The Run Down

We start with a blank. Sunday the 6th is a write-off – onshore northerlies at 19 mph and a weak 4 ft swell from the NNE with a short 6-second period. Energy is weak at 114. Just leave the board in the car.

Monday the 7th morning gives us the first real chance. A clean 3 ft swell from the SE, 9-second period, and offshore SSE winds at 16 mph. The combined energy is moderate at 166. It’s described as surfable but very ordinary. It’s the best we’ve seen, but that’s not saying much. The afternoon goes cross-off and drops to 3 ft.

Wednesday the 9th morning is the next flicker. Gentle offshore southerly breeze at 9 mph, a 3 ft SE swell at 9 seconds, and energy back up to 104. Again, it’s just surfable but ordinary. The crowd situation at Pt Lookout can be an issue – it’s listed as sometimes busy, so expect company if you’re chasing these scraps.

Then we get a massive spike. Thursday the 10th. The swell jumps to 8 ft from the SE, but it’s accompanied by a near gale from the SSE at 34 mph in the morning. The energy is strong at 749, but the wind is screaming. It’s offshore, which sounds good, but it’s near gale force – very hard to paddle into and just messy. The afternoon is the same story: 8 ft swell, 871 energy, but still a near gale cross-off. For anyone but the most hardcore, this is a skip. Honestly, with that much wind and power on a beach setup, it looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th are similar tales. Solid 5 ft swell on Friday, dropping to 4 ft on Saturday, but both mornings have strong to fresh offshore SSE winds. The energy is moderate (280 and 139), but it’s consistently described as poor due to the wind strength making it hard to paddle into. Sunday the 13th is a drop back to 3 ft with cross-off winds.

After that, it’s back to tiny, weak, and mostly blown out or onshore right through to the end of the 16-day window. The 14th of September (Monday) offers a brief moment of glassy conditions with 3 ft, but it’s from the east with a short 6-second period and energy of just 52. Not worth getting excited about.

The Standout (If You Can Call It That)

There isn’t one true standout that screams “go!”. If I had to pick the least worst option, it’s the Monday morning of the 7th of September. It’s the first window where the wind is clean and offshore, the swell is a knee-to-waist high 3 ft from the SE, and the period is a decent 9 seconds. The water temp is sitting at 71°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there. It’s not going to be epic, but it’s the cleanest wave you’ll see in this outlook.

The bigger pulse on the 10th and 11th has the size, but the wind just ruins it. For the rest of the run, you’re better off waiting for the next forecast update. Things can change, but right now, it’s a bleak stretch.

Stay patient.
Rusty.

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