
Surf Forecasts:
The Pass surf forecast from 21 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 21 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 9s period, E swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 13s period, SSE swell with 958 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 21 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 9s period with E 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 Tuesday (Jul 21) at 4PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Pass in the next 16 days are 1.6m 13s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.9m 8s period and expected on Friday (Jul 24) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4PM (Tue 21st Jul) | 6ft (1.9m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 4PM (Tue 21st Jul) | 6ft (1.9m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Pass over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, lookin' at the charts for the next couple of weeks. It's a bit of a mixed bag ahead, but there are some real gems if you're patient.
We start off with a bit of a wait. The first real call to get wet is on Tuesday, July 21st. The morning is a bit of a write-off with a cross-off breeze blowing at 12 mph, but the afternoon cleans right up. The Pass turns on with offshore winds from the SE at 9 mph, cleaning up a 6 ft east swell at a solid 9 seconds. The wave energy is sitting at 671 (moderate), and it's gonna be a fun, rippable wave for everyone. The water temp is 69°, which is pretty normal for this time of year.
Wednesday, July 22nd drops off a bit. The swell backs down to 4 ft to 5 ft, and the wind goes all cross-shore, making it a bit bumpy. It's a day to take a breather or maybe just a quick session if you're desperate.
Thursday, July 23rd stays small, with a 4 ft to 4 ft east swell. The afternoon cleans up with a light offshore from the SE, though. The period is a short 8 seconds, so it'll be a bit weak and crumbly, but you can still get a few grovelly ones.
Friday, July 24th is messy. The wind cranks up from the S at 16 mph, making a cross-off chop. The morning is tiny, but the afternoon sees a bump in size with a 7 ft SSE swell, but that short period (8 seconds) and strong wind means it's gonna be a bumpy, lumpy mess. Probably more fun for a kite than a surfboard.
Saturday, July 25th is the first real standout. We get a glassy morning with a light NNW breeze at 3 mph. The swell is a modest 4 ft, but it's a long-period groundswell from the SSE at 14 seconds! That's proper energy (644), and it's going to wrap around and line up beautifully at The Pass. This is the session to circle. The afternoon gets a bit wind-affected, but that morning window is pure magic.
Sunday, July 26th keeps the good vibes going. Clean conditions again with a light offshore in the afternoon from the SSE. Swell is 4 ft to 4 ft, period 11-12 seconds, so still plenty of shape. The energy is steady (385-404), making for a solid, fun day of surfing.
Then we hit a dry spell. From Monday, July 27th all the way through to Thursday, July 30th morning, The Pass goes almost flat. The swell drops to nothing, with energy readings as low as 19. It's a frustrating gap of about 3 days with nothing worth paddling out for.
Thursday, July 30th afternoon is a big wake-up call. A serious 8 ft swell from the SSE at 12 seconds shows up, with a massive energy reading of 1891. The wind is a cross-shore, but that's a lot of water moving. This is an expert-only zone at that size, a heavy, powerful groundswell that will be breaking straight and fast. Not for the faint of heart.
Friday, July 31st stays solidly big, with 7 ft to 8 ft swells from the SSE. The energy is still huge (1279-2033). The wind is light, which is good, but again, this is a big, powerful groundswell for experienced surfers only. The crowd at The Pass is going to be, well, let's just say "often" busy, and on a day like this, it'll be a battle zone.
After another flat spell on Saturday, August 1st, we get a final big push. Sunday, August 2nd morning is looking excellent for experienced surfers. An 8 ft SSE swell, 10-second period, with a light southerly breeze keeping it clean. The energy is hammering (1374). This is a proper, powerful, clean wave.
Monday, August 3rd gets even bigger, with 10 ft swells. The wind is a cross-off, but it's a solid 12-16 mph, so conditions will be a bit wind-affected. The energy is through the roof (2477 on the morning). This is a serious, dangerous swell. Only for the top-tier crew.
The rest of the week into August 5th drops off slowly, but it stays big (7 ft-8 ft) and gets increasingly windier, with the wind cranking up to 19-22 mph from the S. It'll be a washed-out, messy end to the run.
So, the pick of the litter is that Saturday, July 25th morning – glassy, long-period groundswell, perfect. The backup is Sunday, July 26th and the Sunday, August 2nd morning for the bigger, more powerful crew.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Tue morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Tue afternoon, min 14°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Sat afternoon, min 11°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 10 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | ENE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 11 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | E 8 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | E 12 | ESE 12 | E 13 | SSE 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
878 | 614 | 494 | 408 | 273 | 269 | 215 | 169 | 134 | 83 | 542 | 156 | 577 | 750 | 34 | 361 | 390 | 11 | 15 | 14 | 141 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | cross | on | cross | off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | glassy |
High Tide | 1:35PM1.20m | 1:11AM1.07m | 2:40PM1.22m | 2:09AM0.94m | 3:45PM1.25m | 3:24AM0.86m | 4:46PM1.31m | 4:39AM0.85m | 5:37PM1.39m | 5:40AM0.88m | 6:21PM1.47m | 6:28AM0.93m | 7:00PM1.55m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:31PM0.56m | 7:39AM0.28m | 8:57PM0.61m | 8:30AM0.32m | 10:27PM0.59m | 9:30AM0.34m | 11:37PM0.52m | 10:31AM0.33m | 00:26AM0.43m | 11:24AM0.29m | 1:06AM0.35m | 12:10PM0.23m | 1:41AM0.28m | ||||||||
6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | |
— | 5:07 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:10 | — | |
mm | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 |
Temp °C | 18 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 18 | 19 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 |
Feels °C | 15 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | S 8 | S 10 | SSE 13 | S 11 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 9 |
878 | 614 | 494 | 408 | 273 | 269 | 215 | 169 | 134 | 83 | 65 | 279 | 326 | 750 | 358 | 361 | 390 | 302 | 239 | 184 | 141 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | ENE 10 | ESE 9 | S 10 | E 9 | SSE 10 | S 11 | S 11 | SE 8 | E 12 | E 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 14 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | ENE 7 | ESE 12 | E 7 | ESE 12 |
70 | 57 | 84 | 35 | 99 | 19 | 20 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 156 | 577 | 43 | 34 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 4 | 29 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 20 | S 11 | S 11 | E 9 | S 10 | E 12 | — | SE 9 | S 10 | — | ESE 8 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 8 | NNE 7 | ENE 8 | NNE 6 | E 12 | E 7 | E 13 | E 7 |
8 | 61 | 58 | 15 | 31 | 3 | — | 3 | 8 | — | 12 | 73 | 67 | 14 | 5 | 13 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 14 | 4 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 2 | — | — | — | S 6 | SSE 8 | — | — | — | — | SW 2 | — | — | — | NE 6 | NNW 3 |
— | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 210 | 542 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 4 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 223 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Coast - New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.










