Ballina North Wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Well, this one's a bit of a waiting game, I'm not gonna lie. For the next week and a half or so, we're looking at a whole lot of nothing at Ballina North Wall – a point/breakwater setup that's known to be a bit fickle. It's a dry spell that runs from the start right through until the end of July, so don't be holding your breath.

The first real glimmer of hope doesn't show up until Saturday, July 25th in the morning. That's the standout. We've got a solid 7ft swell rolling in from the SSE, and with a 15-second period, that's some proper groundswell energy – the combined energy reading is a huge 1756, which is strong. The wind is a light, cross-off breeze from the SW at 10 km/h, which is gonna keep things looking pretty clean. It's a deep-water point, so that long period should line up nicely. But look, this is an advanced spot, so it's not somewhere for the groms to be learning on a 7ft day. That Saturday morning window is the best on offer, no doubt.

After that, it's a bit of a mixed bag. Sunday morning the 26th is tiny at 1ft, and by the afternoon we get a bit of a pulse back up to 4ft from the SSE, but the wind swings onshore, making it a bit scratchy. The rest of that week into early August is mostly small and messy, with a lot of cross-shore wind and weak energy – nothing worth paddling out for.

Now, things get interesting again, but not for the right reasons. By Monday, August 3rd, the swell really cranks up. We're looking at 12ft from the SSE, and the combined energy is through the roof (2266). That's a massive amount of water moving. The reports say the wind and tide are okay, but that swell is just far too big for this break. It's going to be a washing machine, and honestly, that's expert-only territory, and even then, it's a bit sketchy. That oversized swell hangs around for a few days, with 10ft and 8ft days, all with a lot of cross-shore wind. If you're into kite surfing, that setup from the 3rd to the 7th of August might be your jam, but for a paddle surfer, it's a hard pass.

The water temp is sitting right around 69°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so the wetsuit is a spring suit kind of deal.

So, to sum it up: If you've got the skills, don't miss that Saturday morning, July 25th session. After that, it's a long wait for the energy to calm down, but even then, the conditions look marginal at best. The early part of August is just too big and messy.

Rusty.

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