Ballina North Wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s cooking for the Ballina North Wall (point/breakwater) over the next couple of weeks.

We’ve got a bit of a slow start, with the first few days offering only small, ordinary waves. The real standout window is a long way off, but it’s worth the wait. The first week is mostly about small, clean conditions with a few decent morning windows, but the Friday the 14th of August brings a serious pulse of energy that’s a real head-turner.

Friday morning the 7th is a gentle start. The swell is a tiny 2ft from the ENE, with a short 7-second period, and only 63 units of combined energy. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the SW, so the waves will be clean, but it’s barely a ripple. Not worth getting wet for.

Saturday morning the 8th is a slight step up. Swell bumps to 3ft from the ENE, and the period stretches to 8 seconds, giving us 102 combined energy. Still small, but with clean SW cross-off winds, it’s a better chance for a longboard or a sneaky log.

Sunday morning the 9th sees the swell build to 4ft from the East, with a 9-second period and 242 combined energy. The wind is light and cross from the North, so it’s clean enough but not perfect. It’s a marginal session, but the best of the weekend.

Monday morning the 10th is a bit of a wildcard. A fresh 30 km/h offshore from the West will be blowing hard, but it will keep the 4ft, 6-second wind swell from the NNE clean. With 265 combined energy, it’s more about the wind than the wave quality. The afternoon sees a cleaner 3ft ENE swell under a lighter offshore, but it’s still nothing special.

Tuesday morning 11th August is a small, clean morning with 2ft East swell, 9-second period, and gentle offshore winds. Only 104 combined energy, but it’s a glassy start for a micro-session.

Now, Wednesday the 12th is a bit of a mixed bag. The morning is a mess with a 6ft N wind swell and a short 6-second period, generating 306 combined energy, but it’s lumpy. The afternoon is the real highlight of the first week: a clean 4ft NNE swell under a fresh 25 km/h offshore from the West, with 225 combined energy. The waves will be clean and punchy for an advanced crew.

Thursday the 13th drops back to small, weak surf, so not worth a mention.

Friday the 14th of August is the big one. This is the standout. The morning brings a solid 7ft groundswell from the SSE, with a very long 13-second period, and a massive 1537 combined energy. The wind is a moderate cross-offshore from the SW, keeping it clean. Now, this is a serious amount of power for the Ballina North Wall. At over 8ft, this is for experts only. The long period means it’ll be a proper groundswell, with big, clean lines, but it might be too heavy for the beach break, so the point/breakwater setup here is the perfect place to handle it. This is the session to circle on the calendar.

Saturday morning 15th August drops right back to small, clean surf, nothing to write home about.

The rest of the second week is a mixed bag of small, poor conditions, with rain and onshore winds, until Wednesday morning the 19th of August. That morning shows a 6ft E swell, 9-second period, and 489 combined energy under a gentle cross-offshore from the SSW. It’s clean and should offer some decent, powerful waves.

Thursday morning the 20th is another clean, solid option with 4ft E swell, 9-second period, and 269 combined energy, under a light cross-offshore from the SW.

But the real gold in the second week might be Friday morning the 21st of August. A 5ft ENE swell, 9-second period, and 352 combined energy, with glassy, calm conditions from the NNW. That’s a rare treat. Clean, head-high waves with no wind. It’s a long way off, so keep an eye on it, but it’s a promising end to the outlook.

Saturday morning 22nd August also looks clean, with 5ft ENE swell, 10-second period, and 421 combined energy under a light cross-offshore from the NNW. A solid way to finish the run.

So, the one to lock in is Friday the 14th of August morning for the big, long-period groundswell. It’s a proper expert session. The second runner-up is Friday the 21st of August morning for that glassy, clean head-high swell.

Stay safe out there.

Rusty.

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