
Surf Forecasts:
The Pass surf forecast from 8 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 11 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 9s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 10 Sep, 10AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, SSE swell with 1,995 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 9 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 9s period with SSE 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 Wednesday (Sep 09) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Pass in the next 16 days are 3.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 10) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.5m 8s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 10) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Wed 9th Sep) | 6ft (1.9m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 4PM (Fri 11th Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Thu 10th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Pass over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let's get this forecast rolling. We've got The Pass as the only spot in the picture for this whole stretch, so we'll be riding that train for the next couple of weeks.
We've got a real slow start here. The first couple of days, Tuesday the 8th and Wednesday the 9th, are basically a flat, blown-out write-off. Tiny swells and messy winds – you wouldn't even bother paddling out. Don't even look at the ocean, just go do something else.
The first real pulse of energy arrives Thursday morning the 10th, but it's a tricky one. The swell jumps up to 12 ft with a strong energy reading (2155), but that cross-off wind is up and it's a bit lumpy. This is a powerful, raw ocean, not a friendly one. It's pushing past the 8 ft mark, so this is for experts only, and it's not what I'd call clean. The lineup at The Pass is going to be a handful, and the tide might play games with you.
But the standout is Friday the 11th. That's your window. The swell eases to a still-chunky 10 ft in the morning, dropping to 8 ft in the afternoon, and the wind swings offshore from the SSE. That's the key. It's a moderate offshore breeze, but it's clean. The energy is strong at 1316, and that SSE direction is right in the pass's wheelhouse. It'll be big, powerful and lined up, but for those who know what they're doing, this is the best session on offer. This is the one to point the car at.
Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th are still solid, with surf in the 7 ft to 4 ft range, and the wind stays offshore. It's not as epic as Friday, but there are plenty of good waves to be had. The energy backs down to a moderate 507-641, but it's clean and rideable. Definitely worth a paddle.
Then we hit a lull. Monday the 14th drops to under 3 ft and the wind goes cross-off. It's surfable but pretty ordinary. From Monday afternoon through Tuesday the 15th, it really dies off and the wind turns cross-onshore, chopping everything up. No good. That's a solid few days with nothing to get excited about.
Wednesday the 16th has a bit of a tease in the morning, but the afternoon is where it's at. The swell jumps back to 8 ft with a gentle offshore wind and a moderate energy (669). The direction is a bit more SSE, but it should still be firing. It's a short-period swell, so the waves might be a bit more walled, but the wind is clean. This is another good session, a true runner-up to Friday.
From Thursday the 17th on, it turns into a real dogfight. The swell energy just dies. There's some surf around 3 ft to 6 ft, but it's all short-period wind slop, the wind is all over the place, and most of the time it's cross-onshore and choppy. The 18th and 19th are particularly bad with strong cross-onshore winds making it a complete mess. Honestly, for a point break like this, it's going to be more interesting for the kite surfers than us. Even the 20th and 21st, while the wind goes offshore, the swell is a pathetic 5 ft to 5 ft of short-period junk from the N/NNE. It just doesn't have the juice or the right direction to make The Pass worth the effort.
So, in short: forget the start, circle Friday the 11th as the big one, and be ready for the fun but smaller weekend. The rest is mostly a write-off. It's a slow stretch for a place like this, but that one day will make it all worth it.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Tue morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Tue morning, min 14°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSW on Wed morning, fresh winds from the S by Wed night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri morning, min 16°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | |||||||||||||||
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 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
16 | 17 | 542 | 366 | 352 | 257 | 1995 | 1733 | 1495 | 1178 | 947 | 723 | 548 | 313 | 322 | 258 | 188 | 101 | 167 | 86 | 107 | |
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-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | on |
High Tide | 5:59PM1.72m | 6:22AM1.15m | 6:44PM1.77m | 7:05AM1.26m | 7:25PM1.76m | 7:46AM1.36m | 8:02PM1.69m | 8:25AM1.43m | 8:38PM1.58m | 9:03AM1.46m | 9:12PM1.44m | 9:41AM1.46m | 9:46PM1.29m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:18AM0.14m | 00:41AM0.09m | 12:11PM0.06m | 1:19AM0.03m | 12:58PM0.01m | 1:52AM0.00m | 1:42PM0.01m | 2:24AM-0.00m | 2:25PM0.04m | 2:54AM0.02m | 3:07PM0.12m | 3:23AM0.07m | 3:50PM0.21m | 3:53AM0.13m | |||||||
5:52 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | |
— | 5:34 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | |
mm | 3 | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 |
Feels °C | 14 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 8 | NE 7 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | S 18 | S 23 | SSE 22 | E 14 | E 13 | E 14 | E 14 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | NE 6 |
11 | 8 | 542 | 366 | 352 | 257 | 6 | 11 | 99 | 4 | 4 | 16 | 16 | 313 | 322 | 258 | 188 | 101 | 167 | 86 | 33 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ESE 12 | E 15 | E 15 | E 9 | NE 13 | SE 21 | NE 15 | E 14 | SSE 18 | SSE 18 | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 6 | ENE 6 | SE 13 | SSE 12 |
16 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 56 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 18 | 9 | 4 | 32 | 110 | 28 | 34 | 24 | 25 | 43 | 107 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 9 | N 8 | NE 6 | NE 7 | E 16 | E 8 | — | S 23 | E 15 | — | — | — | NE 16 | E 14 | E 13 | SSE 20 | SSE 18 | SSE 16 | NE 8 | NE 8 | SE 8 |
7 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 13 | — | 11 | 4 | — | — | — | 10 | 14 | 13 | 151 | 107 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 10 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 8 | — | — | NE 6 | S 3 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | E 7 | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 6 | — |
402 | 459 | — | — | 2 | 3 | 1995 | 1733 | 1495 | 1178 | 947 | 723 | 548 | 104 | — | — | — | — | — | 25 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 53 | 53 | 0 | 0 | 257 | 1 | 229 | 274 | 2 | 53 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
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.










