
Surf Forecasts:
The Pass surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 13 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s period, SE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 18 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 12s period, SE swell with 7,326 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 13 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 9s period with SE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Pass this week:
The surf forecast for The Pass over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 13) at 1PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Pass in the next 16 days are 5.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 4.5m 10s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 16) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1PM (Mon 13th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 1PM (Mon 13th Jul) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Sat 18th Jul) | 18ft (5.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Pass over the next 16 days.
Hey folks, Rusty here. Alright, let's have a look at what's on the cards for The Pass. The first week is a bit of a write-off, to be honest. We're looking at a real flat spell from Sunday the 12th through to Wednesday the 16th. That's several days of barely a ripple, with combined swell energy down in the single digits (9) at times. Not a whole lot to get excited about for a paddle.
Things start to shift on the afternoon of Thursday the 16th of July, when a big pulse of S-SE swell hits hard. The combined energy jumps up to 3213. The problem is it's coming in with a strong 22 mph SSE wind, making for messy, windy conditions. The swell is a solid 15 ft from the SSE with a 9-second period which is short and steep, making it a real handful. This is expert-only territory, and frankly, it looks more like a day for the kite surfers than a clean paddle session.
The wind eases off a touch by the weekend of the 18th and 19th. On Saturday the 18th, we have a massive 15 ft S-SE swell (combined energy 5079) with a longer 11-second period, but the wind is still a fresh 19 mph cross-offshore. It's clean but powerful. The standout session looks like the morning of Sunday the 19th of July. We've got a big 15 ft S-SE groundswell, an 11-second period, and finally, a fresh offshore wind from the SSE at 19 mph. This is going to be a heavy, powerful, clean wave at The Pass (Big Island). The combined energy reading is a massive 5148, so there's a lot of water moving. This is a serious, expert-only wave. Expect crowds as it's a consistent spot.
The week of the 20th sees the swell drop but still hold some size. The afternoon of Monday the 20th looks good for experienced surfers with a 10 ft ESE swell and a 9 mph SSE cross-offshore wind, making for clean conditions. The combined energy is still a punchy 1758. Then on Tuesday the 21st, the afternoon looks promising. We have a 7 ft ESE groundswell with an 11-second period, and a light offshore breeze from the ESE. It's a clean set-up, with a combined energy of 1086 building.
The real dark horse of the outlook is Wednesday the 22nd of July. The morning is glassy – zero wind, pure calm. The swell is a clean 5 ft from the E with a 12-second period. This is a classic groundswell setup, perfect for a point break like The Pass where the long period translates into good shape. The combined energy is a moderate 736. This is your best bet for a fun, crowd-friendly session, but as it's a beginner-friendly spot, it might get busy.
The final days of the run into the 24th and 25th see the swell back up to 5 ft to 6 ft from the SE, but the wind turns onshore and choppy, ruining the quality. The 26th and 27th see the swell fade into the 3 ft to 5 ft range with onshore or cross-shore winds, looking pretty ordinary.
So, to sum it up: the first week is a no-go. The standout period for the big dogs is the morning of Sunday the 19th of July for a massive, clean, expert-only session. For the rest of us, the glassy morning of Wednesday the 22nd of July is the pick of the bunch for clean, fun waves.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sun morning, min 12°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 36mm), heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 18°C on Fri morning, min 13°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (moderate winds from the SSW on Wed morning, strong winds from the S by Thu morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 10 | ESE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | N 10 | S 8 | S 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 12 | SE 11 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
248 | 175 | 70 | 38 | 27 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3874 | 2119 | 1689 | 1667 | 2554 | 3861 | 7326 | 5848 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 6:24PM1.77m | 6:43AM1.03m | 7:18PM1.89m | 7:38AM1.06m | 8:08PM1.96m | 8:28AM1.10m | 8:55PM1.96m | 9:16AM1.13m | 9:40PM1.89m | 10:03AM1.16m | 10:23PM1.77m | 10:51AM1.18m | 11:04PM1.60m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:33AM0.09m | 1:15AM0.13m | 12:28PM0.03m | 2:07AM0.05m | 1:20PM-0.03m | 2:54AM0.01m | 2:10PM-0.05m | 3:39AM-0.00m | 2:59PM-0.03m | 4:21AM0.02m | 3:46PM0.05m | 5:00AM0.06m | 4:35PM0.16m | ||||||||
6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | |
— | 5:04 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:07 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 3 |
Temp °C | 21 | 21 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 |
Feels °C | 18 | 19 | 13 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | ESE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | ESE 10 | S 4 | S 10 | N 10 | — | — | NE 9 | NE 8 | NE 8 | S 18 | S 17 | S 21 | S 21 | SSE 21 |
248 | 175 | 70 | 38 | 28 | 32 | 22 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 2 | — | — | 13 | 17 | 9 | 7 | 22 | 33 | 33 | 45 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 8 | S 8 | SE 9 | SE 8 | ESE 10 | S 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | E 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
39 | 39 | 22 | 32 | 27 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | S 8 | N 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | 2 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 3 | NNW 4 | W 3 | SW 3 | — | WNW 2 | WSW 2 | S 4 | — | S 4 | S 6 | S 8 | S 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 12 | SE 11 |
3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | — | 16 | 369 | 1110 | 3529 | 3874 | 2119 | 1689 | 1667 | 2554 | 3861 | 7326 | 5848 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 53 | 1 | 240 | 379 | 229 | 216 | 342 | 2 | 388 | 388 | 274 | 388 | 647 | 342 | 550 | 92 | 92 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Coast - New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the The Pass Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for The Pass provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The Pass can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Pass 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 (The Pass) 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 The Pass 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.
The Pass is 26 km (16 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.










