Noosa - Sunshine Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this forecast for Noosa – Sunshine Beach is a tough one. We’ve got a long, dry spell of poor surf ahead, with barely a sniff of anything worth paddling out for until the second week of August. The first real window of hope doesn’t show up until Tuesday morning, the 4th of August, and even then, it’s only a brief moment.

The water’s sitting at 69°, which is about 1° cooler than usual for this time of year, so nothing too wild there.

For the first week, it’s a write-off. From Monday, 27 July, right through to Monday, 3 August, the conditions are consistently poor. Winds are mostly cross or cross-onshore, or even onshore, and the swell is tiny and weak. The combined energy is well under 100 (weak) for the first few days, and even when it bumps up to moderate levels like 104 (Thursday afternoon) or 217 (Friday morning), the wind and chop ruin any chance of a decent wave. There’s a bit of a spike on Sunday, 2 August, with swell reaching 6 ft, but it’s onshore and messy – more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle-surfing one.

Then, we get a glimmer. Tuesday morning, 4 August. The wind goes glassy from the SSW, and we’ve got a 4 ft east swell running at 8 seconds, with a combined energy of 210 (moderate). It’s the only time in the whole 16-day window where the forecast calls for “expect good surf conditions.” The waves will be clean, but the period is short, so it’ll be a bit crumbly. Still, if you’re keen, this is your best bet. Keep in mind that crowds are possible at Sunshine Beach, so get in early.

After that, it’s back to mediocrity. Wednesday and Thursday, 5 and 6 August, see the swell jump up to 6 ft and 6 ft, but the wind howls from the SSE at 25 km/h, making it a choppy, blown-out mess. The combined energy hits 423 (strong) on Wednesday afternoon, but it’s not worth it for a paddle. Friday morning, 7 August, offers another glassy moment with a 3 ft swell from the ENE, but the wave quality is only described as “very ordinary.” The following weekend and into the second week, the swell stays small and period long, which, for a beach break like Sunshine Beach, means the waves will break too straight. The combined energy fluctuates between moderate and strong, but the wind is never quite right.

The standout, if you can call it that, is undoubtedly Tuesday morning, 4 August. It’s the only clean, glassy window with a decent-sized swell. Everything else is a gamble. Forecasts can always change, but right now, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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