
Surf Forecasts:
The Pass surf forecast from 23 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 15s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 13s period, SSE swell with 960 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 23 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 8s 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 Thursday (Jul 23) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 8s period. 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 1.7m 13s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) 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 2.5m 8s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 30) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Sat 25th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Pass over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Righto, grab a coffee and let’s have a proper look at the charts for The Pass, coming up.
First thing you gotta know – the water’s sitting at 69°F, which is about bang on average for this time of year. No surprises there.
Alright, the outlook for The Pass is a bit of a tease. We’ve got a real gap at the start here. Nothing worth paddling out for on Thursday the 23rd or Friday the 24th. Thursday morning is a write-off, poor surf, and even though Friday afternoon sees a bump in swell to 6ft, it’s coming from the SSE with a short, weak 7 second period, onshore wind, and the whole thing looks average. Not worth a second look.
Then we hit Saturday the 25th, and that’s the standout. This is the one to circle. Saturday morning brings 4ft of SSE swell, but look at that period – 15 seconds, that’s proper groundswell. The energy is moderate at 785, and the wind is light cross-off from the SSW. By Saturday afternoon, it gets even better: 6ft, still SSE, 13 second period, combined energy jumping to 1022 (strong), and the wind swings light cross-off from the NE. The forecast says "expect very good surf conditions" for both sessions. This is the best on offer in the whole outlook, no question. With that long period, The Pass as a point break will handle it beautifully, giving you long, lined-up walls. Just be aware that crowds are often here, so you’ll have company.
Sunday the 26th has a bit of a drop-off. Morning is tiny – 1ft from the ENE – but Sunday afternoon cleans up: 4ft of SSE swell at 12 seconds, light offshore wind from the ESE, and moderate energy at 363. It’s a good, clean session, but not on the same level as Saturday.
After Sunday, we hit a long, dry spell. From Monday the 27th all the way through to Thursday the 1st of August, it’s basically poor surf. Tiny waves, strong winds, and rain. There’s a short window on Tuesday the 4th of August afternoon where a 8ft SE swell shows up with 8 second period and fresh offshore wind, but the conditions are called “marginal” and the combined energy is high at 781 – that’s a lot of water moving around. Given the size and the strength of the wind, this is honestly looking more like a kite-surfing setup than a clean paddle session for most. The Pass can hold it, but it’s not going to be pretty.
The rest of the first week of August is a mixed bag of marginal to poor conditions, with onshore winds and rain. Nothing to get excited about.
So, to wrap it up: Saturday the 25th of July is your day. Get on it. Sunday afternoon is a decent backup. After that, it’s a long wait with nothing solid until the second week, and even then, it’s rough.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu morning, min 11°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Mon afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Tue morning, min 12°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | |||||||||||||||
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 9 | E 8 | E 8 | ENE 8 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 15 | SSE 13 | SSE 11 | ENE 7 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 | SSE 15 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
215 | 165 | 134 | 85 | 327 | 292 | 726 | 960 | 356 | 21 | 343 | 404 | 16 | 30 | 30 | 27 | 13 | 12 | 24 | 24 | 22 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 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 | 7:09AM0.98m | 7:36PM1.62m | 7:45AM1.03m | 8:09PM1.67m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 12:51PM0.17m | 2:14AM0.21m | 1:29PM0.12m | 2:45AM0.17m | ||||||||
6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | |
— | 5:08 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:13 | — | |
mm | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 16 |
Temp °C | 19 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 16 |
Feels °C | 18 | 17 | 16 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 13 | SSE 11 | S 10 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | S 10 | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 8 | S 8 | NE 5 | NE 6 |
215 | 165 | 134 | 85 | 50 | 138 | 369 | 960 | 356 | 255 | 343 | 404 | 264 | 223 | 161 | 164 | 133 | 64 | 29 | 11 | 15 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | SE 7 | E 10 | E 9 | SSE 15 | E 9 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | NE 5 | ENE 5 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 |
20 | 20 | 8 | 2 | 51 | 64 | 726 | 39 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 10 | 5 | 30 | 30 | 27 | 13 | 4 | 8 | 16 | 9 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 9 | SE 6 | S 16 | S 17 | ENE 8 | E 9 | ENE 8 | ESE 8 | E 8 | NE 7 | E 13 | ESE 13 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ESE 11 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 | SSE 15 |
— | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 26 | 59 | 23 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 13 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 24 | 24 | 22 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSW 3 | — | S 5 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 3 | — | — | WSW 3 | — | ENE 3 | WSW 2 | SW 3 | SSE 4 |
— | 1 | — | 44 | 327 | 292 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 3 | — | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 19 | 257 | 8 |
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.










