Ballina North Wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the line for Ballina.

We’re starting off with a bit of a flat spell, unfortunately. The first proper surf worth talking about won’t show up until this Saturday morning, the 11th of July. That gap of a few days with nothing on offer is a bit of a drag, but that’s how it goes sometimes.

Saturday morning (11th July) is the best bet in the whole outlook. Ballina North Wall will have clean 5ft surf coming from the SSE with a 10-second period. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the SW at 6 mph, so the face should be nicely groomed. Combined swell energy is decent at 674 (moderate), and the water temp is sitting at 69°F, which is pretty much average for the time of year. This is a solid morning for the advanced surfer who knows the lineup. The swell direction isn't the absolute optimum (ENE would be best), but the conditions are good enough to make it worthwhile. Expect some company though – crowds are possible here.

Saturday afternoon (11th July) drops off. The swell eases to 4ft from the ESE, but the wind flips to a light cross-on from the NE at 3 mph. It’s still rideable, but you’ll be dealing with little wind ripples.

Sunday (12th July) sees smaller 4ft surf. Morning winds are cross-off from the WNW at 9 mph, so it stays clean, but the energy is low (248). Afternoon drops to 3ft. It’s very ordinary.

From Monday (13th July) morning through to Wednesday (15th July) afternoon, it gets small and weak. Some mornings have clean, tiny 2ft waves, but the energy is in the low double-digits or even single-digits. The afternoon of the 15th gets a strong southerly wind at 25 mph and rain – forget it.

Then from Thursday morning (16th July) through to Monday morning (20th July), we’ve got a massive pulse of south-southeast swell rolling in. We’re talking 13ft to 18ft of swell. The combined energy goes through the roof, hitting numbers like 6261 and 3863. This is very strong, powerful stuff. But here’s the catch – it’s accompanied by strong to fresh cross-shore and cross-onshore winds, with rain in the mix. The forecast notes say the swell is too big for this break. The sets will be dumping heavy, choppy, and messy. This is not paddle surfing territory; with those winds and that size, it looks more interesting for the kite crew than for us.

From Tuesday (21st July) the swell drops into the 8ft to 10ft range, still with moderate cross-shore winds. Still considered too big for the break. This pattern of “swell too big” holds right through until Saturday (25th July).

Finally, we get a return to good surf on Sunday morning (26th July). The swell is down to a clean 6ft from the ESE with an 11-second period. Winds are cross-off from the WSW at 9 mph. The energy is moderate at 732. Then, Sunday afternoon (26th July) could be a sneaky standout: the swell holds at 5ft from the ESE, period still 11 seconds, and the wind goes glassy from the NNW – dead calm. That is a rare treat. Expect very good conditions and a crowd likely to be in the water to enjoy it.

So, the standout is Saturday morning (11th July) for the clean, decent-sized swell, and keep an eye on that Sunday afternoon (26th July) glass-off session. The big stuff in between is a write-off for surf unless you’re on a kite.

Rusty.

Read more