Ballina North Wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here.

Honestly, looking at the next couple of weeks, we’ve got a bit of a flat, blown-out run ahead before things finally start to come together. The swell window is essentially shut for now, and the wind is going to mess with most of what little energy we do see. Don’t get too excited for the first week—this is more about waiting for the ocean to sort itself out than scoring anything decent.

Wednesday, August 12th kicks things off with small, but workable waves at Ballina North Wall (Ballina-North-Wall). The morning is your best bet: a clean 2ft of east swell with a light WSW wind. The water’s at 69°, which is about normal for this time of year. That’s the only window that’s even worth a paddle, and it’s marginal at best.

From Thursday, August 13th through Sunday, August 16th, we’re in a rough patch. Swell stays tiny, in the 1ft to 2ft range, and the wind just gets annoying. It’s choppy and lumpy, with rain showers moving through. There’s a brief pulse on Sunday afternoon, with the swell jumping to 5ft, but that’s all jumbled short-period windswell and cross-shore winds. Not worth your time.

The middle of next week, Monday, August 17th and Tuesday, August 18th, sees the size finally pick up, but it’s messy. We go from 5ft up to 8ft, but the wind is onshore and the period is only 8 seconds, so it’s going to be a washing machine out there. The combined energy gets strong (up to 622), but there’s no shape to it. You’d be lucky to get a clean one.

Wednesday, August 19th through Friday, August 21st, the swell drops back a touch to around 4ft to 5ft. The morning windows have a cross-offshore wind, which keeps it clean, but it’s still pretty average. Not a total write-off, but you’d be scratching for waves.

Here’s where it gets interesting. The real standout, the one to circle on the calendar, is Saturday, August 22nd. Overnight the wind swings to a light offshore (WSW at 3 mph), and the swell settles into a clean 4ft of east groundswell with a 10-second period. The combined energy is still modest (245), but the conditions are glassy and clean. This is the best morning of the whole period. Ballina North Wall is a proper point/breakwater setup that likes this direction, and with an offshore wind like that, it’ll be worth the paddle. Just know that crowds are possible here, and it’s an advanced wave.

Sunday, August 23rd is a near-repeat, with another clean 4ft morning, the period stretching out to 11 seconds, and that same light offshore. It’s looking good, though the north-easterly kicks in for the afternoon and chops it up.

After that, it all winds down again. Monday, August 24th and Tuesday, August 25th are blown out with moderate to fresh cross-shore winds. The swell drops away, and things go quiet.

The last few days of the period, from Wednesday, August 26th to Thursday, August 27th, the surf stays small and onshore. The wind turns northerly and the swell direction switches up, but it’s mostly junk. Not worth planning around.

So here’s the deal: the first week is a dud, but next Saturday and Sunday mornings (August 22nd and 23rd) are the clear standout windows. Those are your best bets—clean, offshore, with a little bit of push. It’s just a shame we have to wait that long for it.

Rusty.

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