Ballina North Wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, checking in on the Ballina North Wall (point/breakwater). Look, we’ve got a mixed bag ahead over the next sixteen days. Most of it is pretty average, but there’s a couple of tidy windows worth getting excited about. The water temp is sitting at 69°, which is right on the money for this time of year—nothing unusual there.

First up, Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th are a washout. We’ve got cross-on winds in the 12–18 mph range and chop ruining the surface. Swell is around 6–8 ft from the SSE, period 8–9 seconds, but it’s just messy. Not worth paddling out.

Sunday the 13th shows a bit of improvement. Morning has 3 ft SSE swell with a longer period of 11 seconds, and light cross-onshore winds (6 mph). It’s marginal—small, lumpy, but not hopeless. The afternoon turns onshore across the board.

Now here’s the real standout: Monday the 14th, morning. Glassy conditions – zero wind – and a clean 3 ft SE swell with an 11-second period. The combined swell energy is moderate (238). That’s going to be smooth, lined-up waves, ideal for a long session at the wall. After that, the NE breeze picks up to 12 mph and it’s back to chop.

From Tuesday the 15th through to Thursday the 17th, it’s all crossed-up and awful—mostly blowing 22–25 mph from the south, with a big pulse of 12 ft swell on the 17th. That’s way too much for the North Wall, and the winds are straight out of the wrong direction. Honestly, that’s more of a kite session than a surf.

Friday the 18th morning is a curious one. We have a solid 10 ft SSE swell (period 9 seconds, combined energy 1267 – very strong) with gentle cross-shore winds of 9 mph. The data says the break might be too big for this spot—only for experts if you’re keen, but that’s a lot of water moving.

The next real highlight lands on Saturday the 19th morning. Glassy conditions again, with a 6 ft ESE swell, 10-second period, and moderate wave energy (747). Clean, manageable, and the wall should be peeling nicely with the south swell wrapping. That’s the one to pencil in if you missed Monday.

After that, small, weak, and often onshore. There’s a gap from the 20th onward with mainly poor conditions. The last few days into the 25th and 26th show some small SSE swell around 5–6 ft but with cross-onshore winds and lumpy chop. Not worth the drive.

So, to sum it up: if you’ve got a window, hit Monday morning the 14th for the absolute best. Saturday the 19th morning is your next best bet. Most of the rest is a write-off for a surf.

Stay tuned out there.
—Rusty

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