Noosa - Sunshine Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right off the bat, I’m going to level with you—there’s no good surf on offer for the next 16 days at Sunshine Beach. It’s a tough stretch, and I’d be lying if I said otherwise. The whole window is a write-off for decent waves. We’re looking at poor surf conditions from now through to the start of September, and that’s just how it’s shaping up.

The first few days, from Monday the 17th through to Friday the 21st, are all showing poor quality surf. The swell is there, but it’s messy. We’ve got onshore and cross-onshore winds, mostly from the southeast, blowing 12 to 18 mph. The surf height sits around 6 to 7 feet, but that’s not the issue—it’s the lumpy, choppy, and generally junky conditions that are killing it. The combined energy is moderate at best, but it’s not doing us any favors with that cross-chop.

Water temp at Sunshine Beach is sitting at 68°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year—about one degree off. Not crazy, but you’ll feel it.

The first real hint of anything clean doesn’t come until Saturday morning, the 22nd. The wind drops right out, leaving it glassy with the swell dropping to 4 feet from the east at 7 seconds. That’s small and weak—but you could catch a limp, crumbly wave if you’re desperate. Sunday morning the 23rd is similar, glassy again with a 4-foot east-northeast swell, but again, very ordinary.

There’s a tiny window early on Monday the 24th with a light cross-offshore wind and 3 feet of swell, but it’s barely worth mentioning. After that, the energy fades fast. From the 25th onward, we’re looking at a serious drop-off. Swell heights fall below 3 feet, and the wind is mostly cross or cross-on, with not much juice in the water. The combined energy is weak, weak, weak.

The last day with any real swell is Thursday the 27th, with a 3-foot easterly swell, but it’s onshore and choppy. Not worth paddling out. From the 28th through the 1st of September, it’s the same story—small, weak, and messy. There are a few clean windows here and there, but there’s just not enough swell to make them worth anything. A 2-foot wave on a glassy day is still a 2-foot wave.

So here’s the deal: the first solid week is a total bust, and the second week is just too small to get excited about. It’s a real dry spell, and it’s not uncommon for this area when the trades are stubborn. The surf quality in this period is almost all rated as poor, with only a couple of days described as “surfable but very ordinary.” That’s the best we’ve got, and it’s not saying much.

I wouldn’t be holding my breath for anything classic. If you’ve got a kite, maybe look at it differently—those onshore winds and that chop might be fun for you, but for us surfers, it’s a no-go. We’ll have to wait for a better window.

Keep the faith, but don’t plan any sessions around this window. It’s a blank run.

Rusty

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