Noosa - Sunshine Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll level with ya – this 16-day run for Noosa – Sunshine Beach is a bit of a tough watch. There’s a big gap of nothing worth paddling out for right at the start, and while there’s a bit of a pulse trying to build later, it’s mostly a messy, wind-affected affair. The water is sitting at 68°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a decent spring suit.

The first real chance to even think about a surf comes on Saturday the 5th of September, and even then it’s poor. Saturday morning is tiny at 1.0ft from the east, clean with a cross-off breeze, but the energy is weak (32). Saturday afternoon sees a jump to 4ft from the north-northeast, but it’s a short-period windswell of 5 seconds, and a fresh 19 mph cross-shore breeze is going to leave it lumpy and messy. It’s not worth the drive.

Sunday the 6th is similar – a drop back to 3ft from the north with that same short 5-second period, and cross-off winds in the morning clean it up, but the energy is weak (51). The afternoon turns cross-shore and choppy again. Not great.

The action, if you can call it that, starts to build around Tuesday the 8th of September. The morning is still small and choppy, but the afternoon sees a jump to 5ft from the southeast with a 6-second period, and the combined energy climbs to moderate (177). The problem is a moderate cross-onshore wind is making it messy. Still, that’s the biggest swell of the first week.

Thursday the 10th is a write-off with strong 25 mph cross-onshore winds making it unrideable.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting, but not necessarily good. On Friday the 11th of September, we get a pulse of 8ft from the southeast (7-second period) with very strong energy (499). That’s serious size – too big for beginners and only for experts. But the wind is a fresh cross-onshore, making it lumpy. The swell direction is from the southeast, which is cross-onshore for this exposed east-facing beach. This setup looks far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Saturday the 12th is a bit smaller at 5ft with moderate energy (224), but the cross-onshore wind is still a problem.

The final half of the run is a slow fade into small, onshore slop. From Sunday the 13th through to Wednesday the 16th, you’re looking at 3ft to 3ft from the east or east-northeast, with a short 7-second period and onshore or cross-onshore winds. The energy is weak to moderate. Not worth a paddle.

The only glimmer of hope, and it’s a faint one, comes on Thursday morning the 17th of September. We get a glassy 2ft from the east with a 7-second period, and the combined energy is moderate (102). The water is still cold, and the wind is glassy, so it’ll be clean. The score is a 1 out of 10, which is described as “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” It’s tiny, but it’s the only time in the whole 16 days you might get a clean, glassy wave, even if it’s small. That’s your one standout, and it’s a quiet one.

So, to sum it up: a long, frustrating run of small, onshore, or messy surf. The biggest swell comes in mid-September, but it’s blown out. The best bet is that tiny, glassy Thursday morning on the 17th. It’s not the best run for Noosa, but the forecast can always change. Keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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