Ballina North Wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s cut to the chase. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty average for the Ballina North Wall, with a few windows of clean surf that are worth paddling out for, but nothing that’s going to have you calling in sick for work. We’ve got a patchy start, a proper little window mid-week, and then a long stretch of small or messy stuff before a promising bump right at the end that’s worth keeping an eye on. The water temp is sitting right around 68°F, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no need to dig out the thickest rubber just yet.

The first few days are a write-off. Sunday morning sees some clean 6ft SSE swell, but the wind is a cross-off at 16 mph, and it’s just not coming together – the energy is weak, only 390. The afternoon turns to junk, and Monday and Tuesday are all onshore and choppy with a cross-on wind, making a mess of the 7ft ESE swell. It’s gonna be a frustrating start.

Now, Wednesday the 19th is where it’s at. This is the standout for the first week. The morning is looking magic: a light 6 mph cross-offshore breeze, a jump in the swell period to 11 seconds, and 5ft of clean SE groundswell. The energy is moderate at 580, and it should be groomed and glassy. This is a point/breakwater setup, and that longer period is exactly what it likes. Get out there early, ’cause the arvo turns to rain showers and the wind swings onshore. Thursday the 20th is another decent one – a clean 4ft SE swell, light cross-off wind, but the period drops back to a short 8 seconds, so it’s a bit less powerful, but still a good one for an easy paddle and a few fun ones.

From Friday the 21st, it fades. The swell drops to 4ft with short periods, and although the mornings are clean, the quality is ordinary. This stretch runs through the weekend and into the next week. There’s a long gap with nothing worth getting excited about. The swell just dies, bottoming out to less than 3ft with weak energy readings in the double digits. You’ll see a glassy 4ft ENE swell on Monday the 24th, but the period is a tiny 6 seconds, so it’s just mushy and gutless. The wind stays messy or onshore, and the whole thing is a flat spell that looks set to last a good five or six days.

Then, looking way ahead, there’s a real promising blip at the very end. On the 29th of August, there’s a new NNE swell filling in, hitting 6ft with moderate energy (380), and the morning wind is a light 6 mph cross-off. The period is still short at 6 seconds, which means less push, but in the clean morning light, it could be fun. The following morning, the 30th, has a similar story: 5ft NNE swell, glassy conditions with a light 3 mph offshore, and good clean conditions. But this is over a week away, so treat it as promising rather than a guarantee. We’ll need those winds to stay offshore to make the most of it.

So, overall, don’t get too excited about the start. The standout is definitely Wednesday morning the 19th, with Thursday the 20th as a solid backup. The long-range stuff on the 29th and 30th has potential, but it’s a long way off. Keep the board waxed and be ready for the windows.

Rusty.

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