Noosa - Sunshine Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve had a good look at the charts for Sunshine Beach, and I’m not gonna lie to you—it’s a pretty bleak run for the next couple of weeks. There’s a big ol’ gap at the start because there’s nothing worth paddling out for on Monday, August 3rd. The swell is tiny and messy, with a cross-onshore wind. We’re looking at a stretch of several days with no real recommendations until things start to show a pulse.

The first real glimmer comes on the morning of Tuesday, August 4th. We’ve got a tiny 2ft swell from the SE, but the period is a short 9 seconds, so it’s not packing much punch. The wind goes glassy, which is a beautiful thing. It’s a treat to see such clean conditions, but the wave energy is weak (126). The water temp is sitting at 69°, which is just about normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The standout window is the morning of Wednesday, August 5th. It’s not huge, but it’s the best we’ll see. The swell picks up to a clean 3ft from the east, with a 10-second period, giving it a bit of shape. The wind is glassy out of the SW, which is offshore for Sunshine Beach. The combined energy is moderate (202), and it’s the only time we get a good surf conditions call. If you’ve got a longboard or a funboard, that’s your session. The crowds are listed as “sometimes,” so you might have a few mates out, but it’s worth it for the clean lines.

After Wednesday, the quality drops off hard. The wind turns onshore or cross-shore for almost every session after that. We get a couple of mornings with a bit more size—like Saturday, August 8th, with a 4ft swell from the ESE, but the wind is a messy cross-shore and the period is only 7 seconds, making for a choppy, weak wave. The energy is moderate (177), but it’s just not surfable with the wind.

Heading into the second week, it stays grim. There’s a morning on Monday, August 10th, with a clean 3ft swell from the east and a gentle offshore wind, but the energy is only moderate (176) and the wave quality is just “ordinary.” It’s a maybe, but not a standout.

The swell builds late in the run, with Sunday, August 16th, showing a 6ft swell from the ESE, but the period is a short 7 seconds, making it steep and messy. The wind is a moderate cross-onshore, and the energy is strong (470), but it’s a choppy, blown-out mess. For a beach break, that’s more of a kite session than a paddle. There’s also a 5ft on the 15th, but again, the wind kills it.

So, to be honest, the only true standout is the Wednesday morning, August 5th. It’s clean, it’s offshore, and the swell is just enough to have fun on. The rest of the 16-day window is a write-off, with long gaps of nothing surfable. That’s the Sunshine Beach story right now—a couple of windows, but mostly a waiting game.

Rusty.

Read more