North Stradbroke - Pt Lookout Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a yarn about what’s ahead for our little slice of the ocean.

Well, I gotta be straight with you – this forecast is a tough one to read. We’ve got a long, dry spell of ordinary to poor conditions stretching across most of the outlook. The first decent chance to paddle out doesn’t even show up until Sunday morning the 23rd, and even then it’s just barely surfable. For nearly four days straight before that, it’s all poor conditions. When you do see some energy, the wind’s usually cross-off or onshore, stuffing it up. Even when the waves are clean, they’re small and weak.

Let's run through it.

Thursday afternoon the 19th kicks things off with some 4ft SE swell at Point Lookout (North Stradbroke), but a gusty 25 km/h SE wind keeps quality poor. Water temp is bang on average for this time of year at 69°F. That combined energy’s only moderate at 490.

Friday the 20th through to Saturday the 22nd is a washout. The swell drops, the wind swings around and stays wrong. Just skip it.

Now, Sunday morning the 23rd – here’s our first glimmer. We’ve got a clean 3ft of cross-off wind at Pt Lookout. It’s small, only 3ft from the ENE with an 8-second period, so it’s weak – energy is just 121. The waves are surfable but very ordinary. Still, if you’re jonesing, it’s the best we’ve seen. Expect it could be a little busy; the crowds here are sometimes a thing.

Monday morning the 24th is another look, with glassy conditions and 3ft ENE swell. That’s rare – glassy at Pt Lookout – but again, the energy is weak at 118. It's a small, clean wave for the glassy dawn patrol.

The rest of that week into the next tails off into poor surf and building winds. Thursday morning the 27th is notable for a clean, 2ft E swell with a gentle 15 km/h offshore wind. Energy’s low at 82, but it’s clean and small for fun cruisers.

Then we hit a big gap of poor, choppy, windy junk from Friday the 28th right through to Tuesday morning the 1st of September.

Wednesday afternoon the 2nd of September is where things get interesting, but not for paddle surfing. The combined energy jumps to 599 (moderate-strong) with a 4ft SE swell, but the wind is cross-onshore and choppy. That setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

And finally, Thursday the 3rd of September sees the biggest swell of the forecast – 6ft early, building to 7ft in the afternoon from the SE. That’s solid and might get the heart pumping, but with a short 7-second period and a 25-30 km/h cross-onshore wind, it’s a choppy, bumpy mess. Energy readings are high (383 and 552), but the quality is poor. This is a day for the experts only, and even then, the wind will make it a battle.

So, if you’re looking for the standout: it’s that Monday morning the 24th – glassy, clean 3ft waves at Pt Lookout. It’s small and weak, but it’s the only time the ocean truly gives you a clean canvas. The other tiny highlight is Thursday morning the 27th with that offshore wind. After that, the second week looks pretty bleak with only poor, windy junk and a late pulse of messy size.

Keep your eyes on the forecasts, lads – it's a slow month ahead.

Rusty.

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