
Surf Forecasts:
North wall surf forecast from 17 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 17 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 8s period, SSE swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 18 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 10s period, SE swell with 4,084 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 17 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 8s period with SSE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for North wall this week:
The surf forecast for North wall over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 17) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 18s. Another secondary swell of 0.1m and 12s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-shore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at North wall in the next 16 days are 4.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 6s period and expected on Friday (Jul 24) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Fri 17th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 7PM (Fri 17th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 15ft (4.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for North wall over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s coming up at Northwall over the next couple of weeks.
Right now, the sea’s a mess. Through Friday 17th and Saturday 18th, we’ve got a big, lumpy SSE swell pushing in – 8ft to 12ft, with a short 8-second period and some serious energy behind it (874 to 3617). The wind is howling from the SSE at 18-28 mph, making it cross or cross-off, and the water’s sitting at 69°F, which is about normal for this time of year. Honestly, it’s poor surf, way too big for beginners, and even for the experienced crew, that wind is just trashing it. This is more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session.
Saturday morning sees a brief window of clean conditions with cross-off wind, but the swell is 10ft – that’s expert-only territory. The combined energy is massive (1624), and it’s still short period, so it’s going to be a heavy, challenging wall. Not a day for the faint-hearted.
Sunday 19th and Monday 20th are back to rubbish – cross winds, rain showers, and that same SSE swell hanging around 10-12ft. The energy is still strong (over 2000), but the conditions are lumpy and cross-shore. No good.
Things start to settle down by Tuesday 21st. The swell drops to 7ft in the morning and 6ft in the afternoon, with the period lengthening to 10 seconds. The wind is a gentle 9 mph from the SSE and SE, but it’s still cross-shore, so expect a slight chop. This is marginal at best, and the energy is moderate (1045 and 762).
Wednesday 22nd is the first real spark of hope. The swell drops to 5ft from the east with a 9-second period, and the wind swings to a light offshore from the SW at 6 mph. The combined energy is moderate (412), and the conditions are clean. It’s a small, rideable wave – good for a beginner to get on it, but it’s not going to set the world on fire.
Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th are similar: small E/ENE swell around 4ft with light offshore or cross-off winds, clean faces. The energy is weak (209-214). You can get a few, but it’s ordinary.
Saturday 25th looks glassy in the morning with a tiny 2ft ENE swell (energy 137). That’s as small as it gets – surfable if you’re desperate, but barely.
We hit a dry spell from Sunday 26th through to Tuesday 28th. The swell drops to 1ft-2ft, with poor wind directions, and the energy is very weak (30-196). Not worth paddling out.
Then, on Wednesday 29th, a little pulse of 3ft swell from the south, 6-second period, but the wind goes cross-on in the afternoon. Not great.
The best on offer across the whole period is Thursday 30th, morning. The swell is 4ft from the south, 9-second period, wind is glassy from the WNW at 3 mph. The energy is moderate (378). It’s clean, small, and friendly. Not a stand-out for big waves, but for a fun, easy session with no crowds, that’s the pick.
After that, Saturday 1st August morning has a 6ft SSE swell (10 seconds) with light offshore winds from the WNW, giving clean waves. The energy is strong (621), and it’s a solid, manageable size – the best wave of the whole run. Good for intermediate to advanced surfers, but it’s a long way out, so keep an eye on the forecast.
Overall, the setup is pretty average for Northwall. The first week is either blown out or too big, and the second week is tiny. The two standouts are Thursday 30th morning and Saturday 1st August morning. Don’t get too excited about the long-range call – it’s promising but not locked in yet.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 41mm), heaviest during Fri morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun night, min 17°C on Fri morning). Mainly strong winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Mon morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon morning, min 14°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SE on Mon morning, calm by Wed night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | ESE 11 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
832 | 1067 | 899 | 1091 | 1788 | 3060 | 2274 | 2082 | 1781 | 1635 | 1365 | 1275 | 967 | 682 | 434 | 373 | 320 | 275 | 199 | 189 | 162 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:26AM1.14m | 10:43PM1.62m | 11:13AM1.13m | 11:24PM1.47m | 12:00PM1.12m | 00:04AM1.31m | 12:52PM1.12m | 00:43AM1.16m | 1:49PM1.13m | 1:25AM1.03m | 2:55PM1.17m | 2:15AM0.93m | 4:04PM1.23m | 3:22AM0.87m | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:14PM0.16m | 5:21AM0.14m | 5:02PM0.24m | 6:00AM0.17m | 5:52PM0.34m | 6:37AM0.22m | 6:45PM0.45m | 7:15AM0.28m | 7:47PM0.56m | 7:55AM0.33m | 9:04PM0.63m | 8:39AM0.37m | 10:39PM0.65m | ||||||||
6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | |
— | 5:06 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:08 | — | |
mm | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
Feels °C | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 8 | NE 8 | S 15 | ESE 9 | ESE 11 | SSE 21 | SSE 19 | SSE 18 | SSE 17 | SSE 14 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 |
9 | 9 | 5 | 533 | 1747 | 43 | 37 | 63 | 55 | 38 | 1365 | 1275 | 967 | 682 | 434 | 373 | 320 | 275 | 199 | 189 | 162 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 18 | SSE 18 | — | — | S 22 | E 18 | S 24 | S 23 | S 17 | — | SSE 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | SSE 10 | S 10 | S 11 | S 10 |
33 | 31 | — | — | 82 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 6 | — | 57 | 75 | 70 | 62 | 58 | 35 | 31 | 32 | 17 | 20 | 8 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 20 | S 15 | S 16 | S 15 | S 14 | E 12 | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 18 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 2 | — | SSE 5 |
832 | 1067 | 899 | 1091 | 1788 | 3060 | 2274 | 2082 | 1781 | 1635 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 29 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 524 | 525 | 38 | 203 | 661 | 578 | 578 | 481 | 65 | 171 | 27 | 27 | 19 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Coast - New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the North wall Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for North wall provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at North wall can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our North wall surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (North wall) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for North wall may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
North wall is 3 km (2 miles) from Ballina. If you plan a holiday in North Coast - New South Wales, look for hotels and other accommodation in Ballina. Ballina has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










