North Stradbroke - Pt Lookout Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s coming up for our local stretch.

To be straight with you, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim overall for North Stradbroke - Pt Lookout. There’s nothing on the table that I’d call a proper standout session. We’ve got a long stretch of poor conditions ahead, with only a few moments where you might just get wet without regretting it.

The first real chance to paddle out comes on Monday the 7th of September. Early morning, the sky’s clear and we’ve got a moderate offshore breeze from the SSE at 16 mph. That’ll keep the surface clean. Swell is coming from the SE at 3 ft with a short period of 8 seconds. It’s not going to be pretty—wave energy is weak (165), and the conditions are just ordinary. Not a standout, but it’s the best we’ve got for that day. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing unusual.

After that, it’s a real struggle. Tuesday the 8th through to the end of the first week is a write-off. Wind cranks up, we get rain showers, and the swell either drops away or gets messy with onshore winds. Thursday the 10th sees a jump in swell height—8 ft to 10 ft—but that’s coupled with a near gale from the SSE (31 to 37 mph). The combined energy is strong (506 to 1133), but those winds make it unsurfable. That’s expert-only, and even then, it’s not worth it.

We get a small window on Wednesday the 9th morning: light southerly offshore at 6 mph, clean, with 3 ft SE swell and a period of 9 seconds. Energy is moderate (130). It’s still just ordinary surf, but if you’re desperate, that’s the cleanest morning of the first week.

Friday the 11th morning has a fresh offshore breeze (22 mph) and 6 ft ESE swell, but the period is short at 8 seconds, and the wave energy is strong (369). It’s marginal at best—questionable tide and messy conditions keep the score low.

From Saturday the 12th right through to the end of the forecast period on September 22nd, it’s mostly poor. There’s a gap of many days with nothing worth recommending. The swell drops to tiny (0.3 ft to 3 ft), winds shift all over the place, and most of the time it’s onshore or cross-offshore with chop. The only slight mention is Thursday the 17th morning: glassy conditions with a light WNW breeze at 3 mph, but the swell is only 2 ft from the ENE with a period of 7 seconds. Energy is weak (54). It’s surfable, but barely.

So, to sum it up: no true standouts here. The best on offer is Monday morning the 7th, and maybe Wednesday morning the 9th, if you’re happy with clean but weak surf. The rest is a long, frustrating gap of small, windy, or blown-out waves. It’s not unusual for the area to have blank runs like this—forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

Read more