Noosa - Sunshine Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve got the long-range look for the Sunshine Coast. Honestly, it’s a grim start and a long wait for anything decent. We’ve got a solid two-week stretch of mostly poor conditions before a glimmer of hope shows up in the second week.

Right now, there’s no surf worth paddling out for. The first session on offer is Thursday morning, July 30, but it’s a dud. Sunshine Beach is seeing a tiny 2ft ENE swell with a short, weak 7-second period, and the combined energy is a measly 83. The wind is a cross-shore from the south at 9 mph, and the water temp is 69°, which is about 1° cooler than normal for this time of year – nothing wild, just a bit nippy. The report says it’s poor surf, and I’m not arguing.

The rest of the first week struggles. Friday, July 31, through Sunday, August 2, sees a bump in swell up to 5ft, but it’s short-period junk from the SSE with periods around 6 seconds, and the wind is cross or cross-on from the SSE or SE, blowing 12 to 16 mph. The combined energy climbs to 188-444, but the chop is messy. By Monday, August 3, the swell drops to 3ft with a longer 13-second period, but it’s cross-onshore and fairly choppy – still no good.

We hit a real lull from Tuesday, August 4, through to Saturday, August 8. Swell sizes are tiny, between 2ft and 4ft, with weak energy readings (46 to 165). The wind is mostly cross or onshore, and the reports are all “poor surf conditions.” On Wednesday morning, August 5, and Thursday morning, August 6, we get glassy conditions with a light offshore from the west or southwest, but the swell is only 2ft to 3ft from the east with a short 8-second period. The energy is below 100, and the report calls it “surfable but very ordinary.” It’s not what you’d drive for.

The standout comes late in the forecast. Mark Wednesday morning, August 12, and Thursday, August 13. The swell picks up to 3ft to 4ft from the ESE, with a period jumping to 11-12 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The combined energy hits 231-343, which is moderate wave energy. The wind is pure gold: offshore from the WSW on Wednesday afternoon (12 mph, clean) and glassy on Thursday morning with a light SW breeze. The break here is Sunshine Beach, an exposed beach break, so the long period (over 11 seconds) could make it a bit straight, but the offshore and glassy winds will clean it up. This is the best on offer – a true window of clean, fun-sized waves. It’s far out though, so keep an eye on the forecasts.

Friday morning, August 14, also looks promising with a glassy 3ft ESE swell at 11 seconds, but it fades in the afternoon. No other spots are recommended, so it’s all about waiting for that mid-August window.

Rusty.

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