Coastal Hazard Assessment · MCU25/0087

                                                 17 The Esplanade, Sunshine Beach                              Report


Table 4-2 Adopted Storm Tide Levels (excluding wave setup) for Sunshine Beach (Aurecon, 2013)
      Return Period   Current Climate Storm Tide Level
       (years ARI)               (m AHD)
          100                       1.74
          500                       1.84
          1000                      1.89


4.2      Wave Climate
The wave climate at Sunshine Beach is influenced by both locally wind-generated sea and ocean
swell. Sea describes wind generated waves where wind energy is still being transferred to the ocean.
Swell describes wind generated waves that have travelled out of their generating area. Swell
characteristically exhibits smoother, more regular, and uniform crests and a longer period than sea. In
open coastal areas sea waves generated by local winds are often superimposed on swell waves.
The wave climate for Sunshine Beach has been previously reported by BMT (2013) ‘Coastal
Processes Study for the Sunshine Coast’ prepared for the Sunshine Coast Regional Council. Wave
roses (BMT, 2013) indicate that the wave climate for Sunshine Beach is dominated by waves from the
east-southeast direction (refer Figure 4-1).
The design offshore significant wave heights for the Sunshine Coast have been previously published
by BMT (2013) refer (Figure 4-2). For this assessment a 100-year ARI offshore significant wave
height of 6.2m has been adopted to be consistent with the ‘Coastal Processes Study for the Sunshine
Coast’ prepared by BMT (2013).




                            Figure 4-1: Wave Rose Sunshine Beach (BMT, 2013)




                                                                     252662-MN-RP-CO-0001B | 10 November 2025 | Page 19