Surf Forecasts:
North wall surf forecast from 14 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 11s period, ESE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 11s period, ESE swell with 771 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 16 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 7s 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 Sunday (Aug 16) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 10s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 18s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at North wall in the next 16 days are 1.8m 11s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Sun 16th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for North wall over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Look, it’s a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks for Northwall. We’ve got some size, but the wind and conditions are going to be the main talking point, not always in a good way. The water temp is sitting at 68°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so no need for a thicker wetsuit just yet.
We kick off this Friday morning, 14th August, with a solid 6ft swell from the south, period of 10 seconds, and a cross-off wind from the southwest at 12 mph. The combined energy is pumping at 1133 (strong), but the forecast is calling it marginal – likely a tide issue or just a bit lumpy. It’s a big, powerful wave, but it’s not going to be the cleanest. It’s a beach/groyne setup, so for a beginner, this is already pushing it with that size.
Saturday and Sunday are a bit of a write-off. Saturday sees the swell drop to 5ft from the south, but we’ve got rain showers and a lumpy cross-shore wind that’s making a mess of things. Sunday morning is a little cleaner with a 6ft south-southeast swell and a lighter 9 mph cross-off breeze, but it’s still not great. The energy is moderate at 409, but the quality just isn’t there.
Tuesday, 18th August, we get a bit of a pulse with a 6ft southeast swell, but again, it’s onshore and choppy. Not worth paddling out.
Now, things start to look up on Wednesday morning, 19th August. The swell drops to 4ft from the southeast, but the period jumps to 11 seconds – classic groundswell. The wind goes light and cross-off from the south at just 6 mph. The energy is 507 (moderate), but the conditions are clean. This is the best call of the week for a longboard or a fish. The water will feel clean and the waves will have some shape.
Thursday morning, 20th August, is worth a look too. We get a 4ft south-southeast swell with a glassy offshore wind from the southwest at 9 mph. The energy is lower at 281, but it’s clean and tidy.
Then we hit the real standout. Friday morning, 21st August. It's small, only 4ft from the southeast, but the wind is glassy – literally 3 mph from the southwest, dead calm. The energy is low at 207, but for a clean, small-wave session on the low tide, this is the pick of the first week. Zero crowds in the water, just you and the ocean.
The second week gets tricky. Saturday and Sunday, 22nd and 23rd August, are small and cross-off, but the weekend of the 23rd afternoon, the swell jumps to a massive 12ft from the south with an 11-second period. That’s very big for Northwall – too big for all but the most experienced. The combined energy is a ridiculous 3117 (very strong). It’s clean off the water, but this is expert-only territory. If you’re a strong paddler, it’ll be a show.
Monday, 24th August, sees a 7ft south-southeast swell linger, but the wind is light and cross-onshore, so not perfect.
The end of the forecast period, around the 28th and 29th of August, sees another big southerly pulse. Friday the 28th is 10ft to 12ft from the south, 11-second period, with a strong 22 mph cross-off wind. It’s clean but huge. The energy is 1979 (very strong). Saturday the 29th is similar, 10ft swell from the south-southeast. These days are for the experts only, and honestly, for the average surfer, it’s going to be a washout.
So, to sum it up: the best session on offer is Friday morning, 21st August – glassy, clean, small waves at Northwall. If you’re looking for more size, Wednesday the 19th morning is your next best bet with that long-period southeast groundswell. For the rest, it’s either too messy, too small, or too big. A bit of a waiting game.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Fri afternoon, min 14°C on Sat night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Mon night. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon afternoon, min 13°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | |||||||||||||||
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) | S 10 | S 9 | SSE 8 | S 7 | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SE 6 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
652 | 372 | 280 | 200 | 188 | 397 | 312 | 261 | 516 | 549 | 450 | 429 | 425 | 447 | 334 | 414 | 442 | 232 | 224 | 216 | 191 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | cross | off |
High Tide | 9:37PM1.67m | 10:00AM1.32m | 10:14PM1.53m | 10:40AM1.31m | 10:50PM1.38m | 11:22AM1.29m | 11:23PM1.23m | 12:06PM1.27m | 11:56PM1.10m | 12:56PM1.24m | 00:33AM0.98m | 1:57PM1.23m | 1:23AM0.89m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:14PM0.13m | 4:05AM0.13m | 3:59PM0.18m | 4:38AM0.17m | 4:43PM0.27m | 5:11AM0.22m | 5:27PM0.39m | 5:42AM0.28m | 6:16PM0.51m | 6:16AM0.35m | 7:14PM0.62m | 6:53AM0.42m | 8:32PM0.69m | ||||||||
6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | |
— | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:23 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | 3 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 2 | — | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 |
Feels °C | 13 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | SSE 17 | SSE 17 | S 8 | ENE 9 | SE 11 | ESE 8 | E 7 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 |
450 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 59 | 30 | 40 | 28 | 61 | 447 | 131 | 414 | 442 | 232 | 224 | 216 | 191 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 9 | NE 9 | SSE 19 | SSE 15 | S 20 | SSE 19 | SSE 18 | SSE 17 | E 14 | S 12 | ENE 9 | SE 13 | ENE 9 | ESE 13 | SE 9 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 |
28 | 3 | 34 | 22 | 7 | 36 | 60 | 59 | 4 | 26 | 28 | 7 | 16 | 35 | 226 | 88 | 52 | 60 | 54 | 51 | 51 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 9 | NE 7 | NE 9 | NE 8 | N 8 | E 16 | E 15 | E 15 | — | S 18 | SSE 17 | E 13 | ENE 9 | SE 13 | ESE 12 | S 16 | S 8 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | NE 9 | — |
3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 4 | — | 55 | 27 | 3 | 27 | 28 | 125 | 5 | 21 | 8 | 3 | 3 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 9 | SSE 8 | S 7 | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SE 6 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 10 | ESE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
652 | 372 | 280 | 200 | 188 | 397 | 312 | 261 | 516 | 549 | 450 | 429 | 425 | 376 | 334 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 8 | 32 | 8 | 26 | 27 | 38 | 0 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 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.











