North Stradbroke - Pt Lookout Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight – the next 16 days at Point Lookout on North Stradbroke are a proper mixed bag, with a whole lot of wind that’s going to test your patience. We’ve got a solid run of size early on, but the wind is the enemy, and the quality just ain’t there for a good paddle. The first few days are a write-off for anything fun, so don’t get your hopes up.

The Overall Picture

We kick off with a decent pulse of east swell, pushing 6 ft on Monday morning (July 6th), with the combined energy hitting a strong 559. The problem? That screaming SSE wind at 28 mph is howling offshore, which makes the faces clean but it’s near impossible to paddle into. It’s a kite surfer’s dream, not a paddle surfer’s. The swell keeps pumping through Tuesday and Wednesday, with a 7 ft SE swell on Tuesday afternoon and a combined energy of 912. It’s all strong offshore wind though, and the wave comment says it all: “strong offshore and clean but hard to paddle into.” The period on Wednesday morning hits 11 seconds, which is a nice groundswell, but the wind is still a strong breeze. By Friday morning (July 10th), the wind drops to a moderate 16 mph offshore, and the swell is 7 ft from the SSE with a combined energy of 1066 – that’s strong. The score lifts a little, but it’s still “marginal” for surf, not the standout.

The real standout in this whole outlook is Thursday morning, July 9th. We’ve got a 5 ft SE groundswell, period of 11 seconds, and a fresh offshore breeze from the south at 22 mph. The combined energy is a solid 1001, and the score is the highest we see all week at a 2/10. It’s clean, it’s got some push, and the wind is manageable. For a point break like Point Lookout that’s fairly exposed to the east, this is your best window. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there. Crowds can be a thing here sometimes, so expect a few locals out.

After that, the swell drops away fast. By Sunday morning (July 12th), we’re down to 2 ft from the SE, combined energy of just 170, and the wind is a moderate cross-off. The next few days are small and ordinary. There’s a glimmer on Monday morning (July 13th) with a 2 ft ESE swell and offshore wind, but the energy is weak at 87. Then from Tuesday morning (July 14th) the surf pretty much flatlines – 1 ft on Tuesday, 0.3 ft on Wednesday, and the combined energy drops to single digits. It’s a long, quiet stretch.

A bit of pulse tries to show up on Saturday morning (July 18th) – 2 ft from the ENE, combined energy of 76, but the wind is a light cross-on. It’s surfable but very ordinary. The last mention on Monday (July 20th) is just 1 ft from the SE, light offshore, and 34 combined energy. It’s a slow fade-out.

Summary

If you want the one and only window that’s worth a look, it’s Thursday morning, July 9th. Point Lookout with that 5 ft SE groundswell, 11-second period, and that fresh offshore wind that’s clean but not too gnarly to paddle into. The energy is strong, the swell direction matches the optimum east, and the wind is your best friend. It’s not a world-class day, but it’s the pick of a pretty rough crop. The rest of this 16-day forecast is a battle with wind and fading swell. Keep an eye on the charts – it tends not to stay this ugly for too long.

Rusty.

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