Ballina North Wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Ballina North Wall over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the first few days are a bit of a grind. Tuesday the 25th is a write-off, with onshore winds and messy, choppy conditions. There’s a bit of swell around, but it’s not worth paddling out for. Wednesday the 26th has a clean moment in the morning with a light offshore breeze, but the waves are small and ordinary. The pattern stays pretty average through Thursday and Friday, with cross and cross-onshore winds spoiling what little swell there is.

Friday morning the 28th is the first real glimmer. We get a glassy, clean session with a tiny 2ft easterly swell. It’s not gonna blow your mind, but it’s a chance to get wet without getting smashed around. The water temp is sitting at 68°, which is about normal for this time of year. Nothing wild.

The weekend picks up a bit more energy, but the wind is stubborn. Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th have a building SSE swell, hitting 6ft by Sunday morning with a solid wall of water. But the south wind is howling at 15-17 mph, making it a bumpy, lumpy mess. For a point/breakwater setup like this, that wind direction is just no good. It’s a kite day, not a paddle day.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Monday the 31st sees a long-period SSE groundswell roll in, with a period of 19 seconds and a proper push of energy. The swell height is only around 3ft to 4ft, but that long period will wrap nicely into the North Wall. The wind is still cross-onshore, so it’s not perfect, but this is the most promising looking swell of the whole run.

The real standout, though, is Tuesday the 1st of September. We’ve got glassy conditions in the morning, a clean 3ft SSE swell with a 12-second period. The wind is light offshore from the NNW. This is the best on offer. The swell direction is a touch south of the optimum, but the clean conditions and that long-period groundswell will produce some proper, lined-up waves. It’s a spot for advanced surfers, and with crowds listed as “sometimes,” you might get a few out, but it’ll be worth it.

Wednesday the 2nd also has a glassy morning with a similar 3ft SSE swell, another good option if you missed Tuesday. After that, the energy drops off and the winds turn onshore again, with a long stretch of small, poor surf from Thursday the 3rd right through to the end of the forecast. Wednesday the 9th has a clean offshore moment in the afternoon, but with only 2ft of ENE swell, it’s a micro-session at best.

So, to wrap it up: the first week is mostly a washout, but Tuesday the 1st of September is your best chance for a proper, clean session. Monday the 31st of August has the most raw power, but the wind is a bit of a spoiler. After that, it’s a long, flat run to the end.

Rusty.

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