Noosa - Sunshine Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a proper paddle. We’ve got a long stretch of messy, wind-affected surf that’s going to have you checking the cam more than waxing your board. The swell energy is all over the shop, and the wind’s not playing ball.

We’re starting out at Sunshine Beach (Noosa) and it’s a rough scene. Thursday the 27th kicks off with a cross-on breeze and a weak, choppy 4ft of short-period slop (energy 197). Nothing to get excited about. That trend holds through the weekend – Friday 28th has a touch more size but it’s still crossed up and junky. Saturday 29th drops right off, with tiny, weak waves and a bumpy surface. Then Sunday 30th sees a bit of a pulse – 6ft on the morning – but it’s lumpy and blown out with a fresh cross-onshore. That’s not surf, that’s a washing machine.

Monday 31st stays in the same vein, 5ft to 5ft of short-period mess with rain showers and a cross-onshore wind. We’re just trying to find one clean window here. Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd offer some of the smallest swell of the period – we’re talking under 3ft – but at least on Wednesday morning the wind goes glassy. There’s a clean 3ft of long-period E swell (period 10s, energy 120) that might give up a few soft ones for a log. It’s not a standout, but it’s the only time the surface looks inviting.

Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th mornings are clean with a cross-off breeze, but the swell is tiny – around 2ft. Not worth paddling out for unless you’re just keen for a splash. The afternoons are all cross-on and chopped again.

Then we hit a proper dead zone from Saturday 5th through to Monday 7th. The swell drops to almost nothing – 1ft on the Saturday morning is literally flat. There’s a bit of a NE bump on Sunday afternoon, but it’s short-period and messy. This is the quietest part of the run, and you’d be better off doing yard work.

Now, here’s where things get interesting. Around a week out, on Wednesday 9th September, the ocean finally wakes up. We’ve got a solid pulse of SE swell pushing 8ft on the morning, with energy jumping to 842 – that’s strong, no question. But here’s the catch – the wind is howling from the SE at 25 km/h, cross-on, making it lumpy and challenging. This is not for beginners. In fact, at 8ft, this is expert territory only. Thursday 10th keeps the size at 6ft to 6ft with the same cross-on SE wind, so it’s powerful but still messy.

The real potential standout for the whole window is Friday 11th September. The morning shows a solid 8ft of E swell, energy at 699, with a period of 8 seconds. The wind is still SE at 20 km/h, which is cross-on, so it won’t be perfect. It’s a big, powerful day that’s going to be handling some serious water. If you’re an experienced surfer, this is where you want to be, but expect a fight. The afternoon eases a bit to 6ft, still cross-on.

Honestly, looking at all this, there’s not a single day I’d call a true standout – nothing with clean, light wind and proper size. The water temp is sitting around 69°, which is just about average for this time of year, no surprises there.

The long-range stuff on the 9th to 11th is promising in terms of size and energy, but the wind is going to be the limiting factor. It’s got power, but it’s going to be rough. For the majority of the next week and a half, it’s flat to small and chopped up. I’d keep the board in the car and the hopes low. If you’re a kiter, the bigger, windier days from the 9th onwards might look more interesting than a paddle.

That’s the picture from here. Keep an eye on it, but don’t block out your calendar just yet.

Rusty.

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