Surf Forecasts:
North wall surf forecast from 25 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 10s period, SSE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 31 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 17s period, SSE swell with 681 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 26 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 6s period with NE 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 Wednesday (Aug 26) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 10s. 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 1.1m 17s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Mon 31st Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for North wall over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, Rusty here, looking at the surf ahead for Northwall. It's a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks, with a few clean windows but plenty of ordinary conditions to sit through. The water is sitting at 68°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing special there.
We start off on Tuesday the 25th with a bit of energy from the ENE, but the wind is a cross-on breeze from the north, making things pretty choppy. The swell is around 3ft, but the period is only 8 seconds – short period windswell, not much grunt. The combined energy is weak (178). It's not worth paddling out for. That carries into the afternoon with a stronger onshore breeze making it even worse.
Wednesday the 26th offers a slight improvement in the morning. The swell drops slightly to 4ft from the ENE, but the wind swings light from the NW, making it a clean cross-off. The period is still short at 7 seconds, and the energy is low (126). It's surfable, but very ordinary. The afternoon brings a risk of thunderstorms and a direct onshore wind, so that's a write-off.
Thursday the 27th is a write-off too. The swell is tiny on the morning (3ft) and the wind is a moderate cross-off from the south, leaving it clean but with very little to ride. The energy is only 87. The afternoon isn't much better.
Now, Friday the 28th is the first real standout. The morning is glassy with a light WSW wind, which is a huge plus. The swell is 4ft from the south with a 9-second period, and the combined energy ramps up to a moderate 263. This is your best bet for a clean, fun session on the longboard or a mid-length. The afternoon gets blown out by an onshore ENE wind, so get in early.
Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th are both ruled by a strong, moderate south wind. The swell builds on Sunday to 6ft from the SSE (10-second period, energy of 710), but it's raw and windy. The conditions are clean, but that wind is still strong, making it a bit of a battle. Not ideal for the average punter.
Monday the 31st brings a fascinating change. The swell is only 3ft from the SSE, but look at that period – 19 seconds! That's a very long period groundswell. The energy is strong (1000). This is a proper point break or reef wave, not a beach break. The wind is a gentle cross from the SE, so it's not perfect, but for a long-period, straight-beach setup like this, it might just break too straight and be a bit tricky. Still, it’s a standout for the energy alone.
Tuesday the 1st of September is another glassy morning. The wind is light from the NNW, the swell is 3ft from the SSE (12-second period, energy 342). This is a great, clean, fun morning. The afternoon gets messy with a strong onshore breeze.
Wednesday the 2nd of September is a repeat of Tuesday – glassy morning, clean 3ft of SSE swell (12-second period, energy 256). Another very good session to be had. The afternoon blows out again.
From Thursday the 3rd of September onwards, things get poor. The wind is onshore or cross-shore, the swell is tiny (2ft to 3ft), and the energy is weak to moderate. There's a long gap of poor to no surf from Thursday the 3rd right through to the end of the forecast on the 9th of September. The only slight glimmer is on the morning of the 9th, with a very small 2ft from the south (12-second period, 136 energy) and a light offshore wind, but it's still very small and weak. Not worth the drive.
So, to sum it up: the best on offer are the glassy mornings of Friday the 28th of August, Tuesday the 1st of September, and Wednesday the 2nd of September. All have clean conditions, fun-sized swell, and moderate energy. The Monday the 31st is a standout for the sheer energy of that long-period swell, but it's a gamble on the beach. After that, it's a dry spell for a week.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 23°C on Wed morning, min 16°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri morning, min 13°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SSE 8 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 19 | SSE 17 | SSE 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
125 | 238 | 117 | 118 | 150 | 104 | 85 | 94 | 178 | 203 | 160 | 356 | 260 | 231 | 631 | 637 | 480 | 497 | 495 | 681 | 302 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | glassy | on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 6:44PM1.52m | 7:09AM1.06m | 7:19PM1.57m | 7:43AM1.14m | 7:53PM1.59m | 8:16AM1.21m | 8:27PM1.58m | 8:49AM1.28m | 9:01PM1.55m | 9:24AM1.34m | 9:35PM1.48m | 10:01AM1.38m | 10:12PM1.39m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:55AM0.45m | 1:29AM0.37m | 12:41PM0.38m | 1:58AM0.30m | 1:23PM0.32m | 2:26AM0.24m | 2:03PM0.27m | 2:54AM0.21m | 2:42PM0.24m | 3:23AM0.19m | 3:23PM0.24m | 3:54AM0.20m | 4:07PM0.27m | ||||||||
6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | |
— | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | |
mm | — | 1 | 3 | — | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 21 | 19 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 |
Feels °C | 18 | 18 | 17 | 24 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | S 10 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SSE 8 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SSE 19 | SE 8 | SSE 10 |
125 | 52 | 117 | 118 | 150 | 104 | 85 | 94 | 178 | 203 | 160 | 356 | 260 | 231 | 58 | 61 | 61 | 40 | 495 | 281 | 302 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | SE 5 | S 10 | N 5 | S 10 | S 16 | NNE 6 | S 15 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | S 11 | NE 10 | N 7 | SSE 21 | E 9 | SSE 17 | E 11 |
52 | 1 | 17 | 25 | 7 | 5 | 16 | 5 | 107 | 60 | 67 | 72 | 73 | 73 | 21 | 4 | 1 | 43 | 39 | 681 | 83 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 5 | S 18 | S 16 | S 10 | SSE 16 | NE 13 | S 11 | NE 9 | SSE 16 | NE 7 | SSE 13 | NNE 7 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 15 | N 9 | NE 13 | NE 13 | ENE 9 | SSE 16 |
1 | 6 | 20 | 8 | 25 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 14 | 70 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 26 | 146 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NE 8 | N 4 | — | — | SSE 4 | S 6 | S 6 | — | — | — | — | SE 4 | S 5 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | — | — |
— | 238 | 40 | — | — | 13 | 86 | 66 | — | — | — | — | 9 | 59 | 631 | 637 | 480 | 497 | 459 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 254 | 39 | 0 | 102 | 8 | 27 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 8 | 26 | 65 | 0 | 38 | 65 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 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.











