
Surf Forecasts:
The Pass surf forecast from 5 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 9 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 11s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 7 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 12s period, SSE swell with 3,826 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 9 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 11s 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 Thursday (Jul 09) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 2.2m and 10s. 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 4.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 07) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 9s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 12) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Thu 9th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Thu 9th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Tue 7th Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Pass over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
G’day, Rusty here with a look at the coming weeks at The Pass – one of those classic point breaks that’s consistent and always calling.
Right now, we’ve got a solid pulse of energy in the water, but the wind is making things tricky. The swell is hanging around 12 feet from the SSE for the start of the week (Monday and Tuesday, July 6th and 7th), with a period of 9 to 11 seconds. That’s a lot of water moving – combined energy readings are in the 1700 to 3000+ range (moderate to strong). The trouble is the wind is a persistent 15 to 19 mph southerly, blowing cross-offshore. It’s keeping the surface clean on paper, but that’s a fresh breeze and it’s gonna create some fight on the paddle out. This is a beginner-friendly point, but at 12 feet, this is serious stuff – only for experienced surfers who know The Pass well. It’s too big for beginners.
Wednesday (July 8th) looks similar, still 12 feet dropping to 10 feet by the afternoon, same 15 mph wind from the south. Energy is still strong (2861–3078). By Thursday (July 9th), we see a slight drop to 8 feet in the morning, then 8 feet in the afternoon. Wind eases a touch to 9–12 mph, still cross-off from the SSW to south. The energy is still chunky (1092–2354), so it’s still a proper wave, but the wind is a bit more manageable. Still, this is clean but heavy.
Friday (July 10th) is the first real standout. The swell drops to 7 feet Friday morning and 7 feet in the afternoon, coming from the SE with a 10-second period. The wind goes light from the south to SW at 9 mph, cross to cross-off. The afternoon is looking *expect very good surf conditions* – clean, with a combined energy of 936, which is moderate but solid. The crowd is *often* there, so expect company, but the wave quality will be worth it. It’s a bit big for beginners (over 5 feet), but for intermediate and above, this is the pick of the first week.
Saturday morning (July 11th) is where it gets glassy. The swell drops to 5 feet from the SSE, period at 10 seconds, and the wind is a whisper from the WSW at just 3 mph – that’s a glass-off. Combined energy is 626 (moderate). This is clean as a whistle and a great size for all levels. But watch out – by Saturday afternoon the wind swings to a 9 mph NNE cross-onshore, and the swell goes to 4 feet from the ESE with a long 12-second period. That longer period groundswell can break a bit too straight at beach breaks, but at The Pass’s point, it should wrap in nicely. Still, the wind messes it up, so the morning is your window.
Sunday (July 12th) onward, we hit a long flat spell. Swell drops below 3 feet, and the energy craters to under 400, then down to just 4–7 by mid-July. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, making for poor conditions. From Sunday July 12th all the way through to Thursday July 16th, it’s basically flat – nothing to get excited about.
Then, there’s a bit of a comeback. Friday July 17th afternoon sees a jump to 7 feet from the SSE, period 10 seconds, with a moderate breeze from the south. Combined energy hits 853. It’s marginal, but that’s the first sign of life. Saturday July 18th is the real standout of the second week – morning has 7 feet from the SSE (11 seconds), and the afternoon builds to 6 feet from the same direction with a 12-second period. Wind is a light 9 mph from the south and southwest, cross-off, and the afternoon is rated *expect very good surf conditions*. Energy is 934–974. That’s a long-period groundswell, so it’ll have some punch and nice shape – perfect for The Pass’s river mouth setup. This is the one to watch, but at this range, treat it as promising but not locked in.
After that, Sunday July 19th drops to 4 feet with a cross-onshore breeze, and Monday July 20th is back to messy, onshore junk.
Overall, the best windows are Friday July 10th afternoon and Saturday July 18th afternoon – both are clean, decent size, and quality waves. The water temperature is about average for this time of year.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 18mm), heaviest on Sun night. Very mild (max 18°C on Tue afternoon, min 15°C on Mon night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Thu morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat morning, min 12°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sun 12 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SSE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 11 | SSE 10 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SE 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1529 | 1569 | 1757 | 2280 | 2483 | 3059 | 3654 | 2904 | 2504 | 1756 | 1344 | 1092 | 815 | 918 | 936 | 716 | 439 | 421 | 396 | 305 | 212 | |
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-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross-on | on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 11:28PM1.51m | 12:15PM1.08m | 00:10AM1.41m | 1:12PM1.14m | 1:01AM1.30m | 2:15PM1.22m | 2:03AM1.18m | 3:21PM1.33m | 3:16AM1.08m | 4:26PM1.47m | 4:32AM1.02m | 5:27PM1.63m | 5:42AM1.01m | 6:24PM1.77m | |||||||
Low Tide | 6:13AM0.16m | 5:50PM0.39m | 6:55AM0.17m | 6:53PM0.45m | 7:42AM0.18m | 8:12PM0.48m | 8:35AM0.18m | 9:41PM0.45m | 9:34AM0.18m | 11:05PM0.36m | 10:34AM0.15m | 00:15AM0.24m | 11:33AM0.09m | ||||||||
— | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | |
— | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:04 | |
mm | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 2 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 3 | — | — | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 22 | 21 |
Feels °C | 11 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 18 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 13 | ESE 14 | E 13 | E 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | — | SE 15 | ESE 13 | SE 11 | SSE 11 | S 23 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 11 | SSE 10 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SE 10 |
176 | 198 | 123 | 76 | 79 | 28 | — | 174 | 357 | 534 | 1344 | 11 | 815 | 918 | 936 | 716 | 439 | 421 | 396 | 305 | 212 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 14 | NE 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 24 | — | S 21 | SE 15 | S 20 | SE 15 | ESE 13 | SSE 10 | S 9 | SSE 9 | S 9 |
63 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | — | 9 | 80 | 7 | 9 | 186 | 214 | 81 | 82 | 40 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 18 | S 20 | — | S 19 | S 21 | S 19 | S 18 | S 17 | S 17 |
64 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 8 | — | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | — | — | — | — | WSW 3 | — | N 3 | NW 3 | N 4 |
1529 | 1569 | 1757 | 2280 | 2483 | 3059 | 3654 | 2904 | 2504 | 1756 | 1010 | 1092 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 229 | 53 | 729 | 1 | 1 | 53 | 53 | 53 | 53 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
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.











