Noosa - Sunshine Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s have a look at the outlook for Noosa – Sunshine Beach over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, mate, we’re in for a tough stretch. The forecast shows a pretty big gap before we get any real surf that’s worth paddling out for. The first few days are all a write-off, with the wind howling from the southeast and the sea state all messy and lumpy. You’ll be looking at a lot of cross-onshore wind and poor conditions, so it’s probably best to leave the boards in the car for the first week.

The first sign of something that’s not a total mess shows up on Friday morning, September 18th. We get a tiny little 2ft swell from the east, with a period of 7 seconds. The wind swings around to the north-northwest, and it’s actually clean. The combined energy is weak, only 65 (moderate wave energy). It’s surfable, but it’s very ordinary. I wouldn’t get too excited.

Now, here’s the one that could be a real standout, but it’s a long way off. Keep your eye on Saturday, September 19th. On the morning of the 19th, we’ve got a 10ft swell from the southeast, with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy is strong, at 1238 (strong to very strong wave energy). And the wind? It’s glassy – a light 3 mph from the south-southeast. That’s the kind of wind we dream about. The problem is, the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. It’s going to be an expert-only session, and even then, it might be a bit of a washing machine. The afternoon sees the wind turn back onshore and ruin it. So, it’s a one-morning window for the brave.

After that, the swell drops back down, and we get a run of poor conditions with onshore winds again. There’s a little hope on Wednesday, September 23rd, with a 5ft to 6ft swell from the east-southeast and a period of 11 seconds. That’s a longer period groundswell, which means better shape, but the wind is still onshore, so it’s only marginal. The combined energy is moderate to strong at 579 (moderate wave energy). It’s worth a look, but don’t expect perfection.

The water temperature at Sunshine Beach is 70°F, which is about 1°F cooler than average for this time of year. Nothing unusual there.

So, the short version: The first week is a bust. The one real standout is the glassy morning of September 19th, but it’s for the experts only. The end of the second week offers a small, longer-period swell on the 23rd, but it’s not clean. This is a tough run for Sunshine Beach, but it won’t stay this way forever.

Rusty.

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