Noosa - Sunshine Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for Sunshine Beach over the next couple of weeks.

First off, I gotta be straight with you – the next few days are a bit of a write-off. We're looking at a pretty grim run from Monday the 31st of August all the way through to the morning of Tuesday the 8th of September. That's over a week of waiting with hardly anything worth paddling out for. The swell is tiny, mostly around 2ft to 2ft, and the wind is all over the shop – cross-on, choppy, messy. The combined wave energy is weak, sitting between 35 and 97 (97), so there's just no push in the water. The water temp is 68°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you'll want a decent spring suit.

Now, there is a little glimmer on Wednesday the 2nd of September morning. The wind swings to a light cross-off from the NNW, and the small 2ft easterly swell (10 second period) cleans up. It's surfable, but very ordinary. The energy is only 70 (70), so it's a knee-high dribbler. Same goes for Thursday the 3rd morning and Friday the 4th morning – tiny, clean, but you'll be scratching for a wave. Friday the 4th morning is glassy, with zero wind, and that 2ft easterly swell (9 seconds) is as clean as a whistle, but it's still small. The energy is bottomed out at 50 (50).

Tuesday the 8th of September is the first real hope. The morning shows a light cross-off from the SW and a 4ft NE swell (6 seconds), with energy up to 103 (103). It's still ordinary, but it's a step up. The afternoon gets even better – glassy conditions with an ENE wind, that same 4ft NE swell, and energy of 112 (112). It's surfable, but the period is short, so don't expect any bombs.

Then we hit a proper wall. From Thursday the 10th of September, the swell pumps up, but so does the wind. We get a strong SE groundswell – 5ft at 12 seconds on Thursday morning, with the energy jumping to 573 (573) – but the cross-on wind from the SE at 20 mph trashes it. It's lumpy, choppy, and messy. The afternoon pushes to 6ft (6 seconds) and 213 (213) energy, but the wind is still howling. On Friday the 11th of September, it's full-on big – 10ft SE swell (8-10 seconds), with energy readings of 1260 and 2102 (1260, 2102). That's a lot of power, but it's too big for this break, and the wind is still cross-on. The models say wind and tide are favorable on Saturday the 12th, but that 10ft swell is just too much for Sunshine Beach's exposed setup. It's a straight-up expert zone if you even try, and the cross-on chop makes it a kite-surfing playground more than a paddle spot.

The bad run continues through to Tuesday the 15th of September, with 7ft+ swells and fresh cross-onshore winds. The energy stays high (483 to 674), but the quality is zero. There are no standout sessions in this window. The best you'll get is a tiny, clean wave on the 4th or a slightly bigger but still ordinary window on the 8th. Nothing is worth getting excited about. For an area that's usually consistent, this is a rough patch, but it won't stay poor forever.

Stay patient, and check back in a few days.

Rusty

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