Ballina North Wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this 16-day window for Ballina North Wall is a tough one. We’ve got a lot of days that are just ordinary, with only a few fleeting moments that might get your heart rate up. The water temp is sitting right on average for this time of year at 68°, nothing unusual there.

The pattern starts off slow. Friday the 7th is a write-off with tiny, weak 2ft swell from the ENE and a period of just 7 seconds, combined energy of only 65 – that’s flat. Saturday the 8th has a bit more pulse in the morning, 3ft from the ENE, but the energy is still meek at 112. The wind is SW, blowing cross-off, which sounds clean but the waves are just "surfable but very ordinary." It’s a 1 out of 10 kind of day, not worth rushing for.

Sunday the 9th and Monday the 10th are messy. Sunday morning has a tiny 4ft E swell with a 9-second period, but the wind is from the N, making it cross and bumpy. By Monday, the swell jumps to 6ft from the N, but with a period of only 6 seconds – that’s windswell, short and weak. The combined energy climbs to 378, but it’s poor surf conditions all day. The afternoon does have a WNW offshore wind at 25 km/h, and the swell drops to 5ft from the NNE, but it’s still only marginal.

The real standout, and the only one I’d call a true highlight, is Friday the 14th. That morning, we’ve got a 8ft SSE swell with a period of 12 seconds – that’s proper groundswell, long and powerful. The combined energy hits a massive 1421, which is strong. The wind is SW at 15 km/h, blowing cross-off, so it’ll be clean. However, this is Ballina North Wall, a point/breakwater setup for advanced surfers only, and 8ft is big. This is for experts only. The swell direction is SSE, which is hitting the optimum ENE direction from the side, not straight on, so it might not line up perfectly, but the quality of the swell itself is undeniable. It’s the best on offer, no question.

After that, things drop off again. Saturday the 15th has a 4ft SSE swell in the morning with clean cross-off winds, but the energy is back down to 302. It’s marginal. The rest of the week into the 16th and 17th is a mess of rain, strong cross-winds, and lumpy, poor surf. The swell period on the 17th morning is a bizarre 19 seconds, but it’s only 1ft with 99 energy – a ghost swell. Totally unsurfable.

The second week is a desert. From the 18th through to the 22nd, it’s all poor or marginal conditions with onshore winds, cross-chop, and rain. The swell stays small, mostly under 5ft, but the wind is never your friend. Crowds at Ballina North Wall can be a factor sometimes, but with surf this average, I doubt you’ll have to fight for a peak.

So, in short: the only real chance you’ve got is Friday the 14th morning, but it’s for the experienced crew only. The rest is a waiting game. Forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a lean run.

Rusty.

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