Noosa - Sunshine Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve had a good look at what’s coming up for our stretch of coast, and I’ll be straight with ya – the next two weeks are going to test your patience. We’re in for a proper dry spell for most of the first week, with barely a ripple worth paddling for. There’s a tiny window of something surfable late in the piece, but you’re going to have to be keen and pick your moment.

The first real sniff of anything decent doesn’t show up until Wednesday, July 29th in the morning. We’re talking Sunshine Beach (Noosa) here. It’s tiny, only 3ft of east swell, but the wind is offshore from the west and it’s clean. The combined energy is weak (71), so it’s more about getting a few grovelly ones than proper waves. Thursday the 30th kicks up a bit more energy in the afternoon – 5ft from the southeast, but the period is a short 5 seconds, so it’s a messy windswell with moderate cross-shore wind. It’s poor conditions, not worth getting excited about.

Friday the 31st through to Sunday, August 3rd, we see a bit more size and energy, with readings between 3ft and 5ft, and combined energy climbing into the 100-400 range (moderate). But the wind is nearly always cross or cross-onshore, and the period stays short or moderate. The surf quality is consistently described as poor, and with the beach break setup and messy wind, this is looking more like a kite session than a stand-up paddle day. Water temp is around 69°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so nothing weird going on there.

Now, here’s the stand-out moment you’ve been waiting for, and it’s the only true highlight in the whole 16 days. Tuesday morning, August 4th. Sunshine Beach, 2ft of southeast-to-east swell, but what makes it special is the wind – glassy, dead calm from the SSW, zero wind. The combined swell energy is moderate (216), and the period is a solid 12 seconds, which means proper groundswell lines. The water is still about average temp-wise. This is the one time where the conditions align for a clean, glassy morning of fun, small waves. If you can get out there, do it. Be aware though, crowds are possible at this break, so get in early.

After that brief moment of glory, it’s back to the grind. Wednesday the 5th morning has some clean-ish surf with 3ft from the southeast and a light cross-offshore wind, but it’s ordinary and the energy is dropping (150). From there, we slide right back into poor conditions with lumpy, choppy, and cross-onshore wind through the second week. The swell gets bigger again on Monday, August 10th – 7ft from the east-southeast with a very long 12-second period and strong combined energy (1281) – but the wind is cross-onshore and choppy, so it’s blown-out and messy. This one is really only for the experts if anyone’s dumb enough to try it.

So, to sum it up: the first five or six days are mostly a write-off. The only real window of decent, clean surf is that Tuesday morning, August 4th, with glassy conditions and small, clean groundswell. Everything else before or after is poor to ordinary, and a lot of it will be better for kite surfers. Get your fix on that Tuesday or you’ll be waiting a while.

Rusty.

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