Ballina North Wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, time to see what’s shaking in our local patch. Let’s get into it.

We’ve got a wild stretch ahead for Ballina North Wall (Ballina-North-Wall) – a classic point and breakwater set-up that takes an east-northeast swell best. Right now, the outlook is a long story. We’re looking at a solid week of absolute rubbish before any glimmer of hope. From Wednesday the 15th right through to Monday the 20th, it’s pretty much a write-off. Strong to gale-force southerly and southeasterly winds are just shredding the surface, and we’ve got big, lumpy, cross and cross-onshore conditions. Don’t even think about it. The swell is big, brutal, and ugly – the combined energy is pumping up to 3690 (strong energy) but with all that wind, it’s just a washing machine for experts only, and even then, no fun.

That nasty run finally breaks on Tuesday the 21st. The swell is still a chunky 8 ft from the east (period 10 seconds, moderate energy at 1387). The wind is easing off but it’s still cross-onshore. The main issue here is that the swell is simply too big for this break – it’s pushing 8 ft, and at Ballina North Wall, that pushes into expert-only territory and makes it messy. Not the day for a paddle.

Now, here’s where we get a standout. Wednesday morning, July 22nd is the window you’ve been waiting for. We’ve got a clean 6 ft east swell (10-second period, moderate combined energy of 564). The real winner is the wind: a glassy 5 km/h westerly. It’s going to be glassy. This is the peak of the whole forecast. The water temp is about 69°F, which is about average for this time of year. If you can snag a session then, you’ll be laughing. The afternoon holds 5 ft with a light cross-offshore breeze, still very good, but the morning is the pure gem.

After that glorious Wednesday, Thursday the 23rd drops back to more marginal conditions – smaller swell and a light cross-shore wind. Friday the 24th picks up again with a clean 4 ft from the east-northeast and a light cross-offshore breeze for the morning. Good, clean fun, but not a patch on Wednesday.

From Saturday the 25th, we drop into a flat spell. Tiny waves under 3 ft with clean conditions but no real energy (combined energy down to 53 or lower). Honestly, from the 25th through to the 29th, it’s mostly a non-event. A tiny bump on the 29th afternoon brings 6 ft but it’s cross-shore and lumpy again – low-quality. The last glimpse of hope is Thursday the 30th morning: 5 ft from the south-southeast with light cross-offshore winds, clean and surfable. Not a standout, but a decent way to close the period.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a write-off from weather, then we get one stellar morning on July 22nd with glassy conditions and a solid east swell. Grab it. After that, it’s slim pickings, but Friday the 24th and Thursday the 30th offer clean, smaller options for a fun paddle.

Stay patient, and don’t waste energy on that first week. Rusty out.

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