Ballina North Wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Ballina North Wall for the next couple of weeks. Let me tell you straight: the start is pretty grim, and we’re going to have to wait a while for anything decent. There’s a whole heap of small, junky swell and rubbish winds on the way, so don’t bother suiting up just yet.

The first few days are all about tiny, weak waves. Monday and Tuesday are small – around 3 to 3 feet, with periods of 10 or 11 seconds, but the winds are junk, blowing cross or cross-on. The combined energy is weak, sitting at 148 to 83, so there’s just nothing with any push. Wednesday is even messier, with a fresh cross-shore and morning waves down to 2 feet, though the afternoon sees a sudden jump in the swell height to a wild 10 feet on a short 8-second period. But hold on, that’s not an invitation. That comes with 35 km/h cross-shore wind, and the comment is clear – poor surf conditions. The energy spikes to 1286, but it's all over the place.

Now, Thursday the 17th is a big red flag. The swell is pushing 12 feet in the morning, at 10 seconds, and the energy is a massive 2180. The wind is actually decent – cross-off and clean from the SSW – but the wave comment is right: this is too big for the wall. This is a break for advanced crew only at this size, and even then, it’s going to be a washing machine. If you’re not a proper expert, stay right away. The afternoon stays too big at 10 feet with cross winds – again, too much.

Friday the 18th is where it starts to settle down to a workable size. The morning has the swell dropping to 6 feet on a 10-second period, the wind is light cross-off from the SSW, and the energy is a moderate 655. The call is for very good surf conditions. That’s your first real window. It's still a solid size, so it’s got some punch, but it should be cleaner. The afternoon goes onshore and messy, so get on it early.

The weekend falls apart again. Saturday’s got a 4-foot swell but cross-onshore winds and a marginal score. Sunday is small – 2 to 3 feet, with periods dropping to 5 seconds, and the energy is weak. It’s a flat, choppy mess. You can forget the board for a few days.

Monday the 22nd throws another curveball – the swell jumps back up to 10 feet in the morning with 10 seconds and energy at 1448. Again, wind is light, but the comment says it’s too big for this break. The afternoon is 8 feet, still too solid. This is another one for the experts only, and even then, the wall is going to be handling a lot of water. The rest of that week is poor – 6 feet down to 5 feet with onshore winds and rough conditions. Nothing worth getting excited about.

There’s a small glassy window early on Thursday the 26th, with 3 feet and a proper offshore W wind – clean, but tiny. The best of the second week is actually on Sunday the 28th, with clean, small leftovers, but it's surfable, not special.

So, the one true standout in this whole 16-day stretch is Friday morning, the 18th. That’s your window for a proper surf. The other potentially decent sessions – Thursday the 17th and Monday the 22nd – are too big and dangerous for the wall. For the rest, it’s mostly flat, weak, and chopped up. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing weird there.

Keep your eyes on the long-range stuff, but as it stands, pick your moment and don’t force it. There’s not much else to say – it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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