Beach
left
Level 5/10

Ballina South Wall

Ballina, Australia
🌀Strong rips🦈Sharks

Ballina South Wall is a river mouth break that forms consistent lefts where the Richmond River meets the sea. The sand deposited by the river creates shifting banks against the south training wall, producing peeling lefts that can be remarkably consistent when the banks are right. The wave works best on clean SE groundswell with light WSW winds. Ballina has unfortunately gained notoriety for shark encounters, so awareness is essential. Despite this, the wave's consistency and quality keep locals coming back.

10-Day Forecast
Thu6
74
Good
0.8m@10s
7km/h
Fri7
43
Poor
0.8m@8s
7km/h
Sat8
25
Poor
0.8m@7s
9km/h
Sun9
31
Poor
1.1m@8s
12km/h
Mon10
20
Poor
0.8m@8s
17km/h
Tue11
18
Poor
0.7m@9s
11km/h
Wed12
24
Poor
0.6m@9s
22km/h
Thu13
32
Poor
0.6m@9s
11km/h
Fri14
60
Fair
1.5m@11s
11km/h
Sat15
47
Fair
1.4m@8s
10km/h
5+ days out, less certain

Today's Conditions

Find Flights
Best session: MorningAM 9 km/h · PM 5 km/h
Swell
0.8m
SE(139°)
Score: 11/25
Period
10s
Medium period swell
Score: 21/25
Wind
7km/h
SSW(208°)
Score: 20/25
Weather
16°C
0.0mm93%
First light 5:55amSunrise 6:25amSunset 5:17pmLast light 5:47pm
Secondary0.6mConfidence
100%

Location & Conditions

Loading map...
0°45°90°135°180°225°270°315°NESW
Swell
Wind
Showing forecast for today

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

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°C
10°
13°
19°
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15°
8°
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15°
9°
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19°
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9°
16°
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15°
8°
13°
18°
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15°
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17°
12°
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18°
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2m1.0
sec
11s
9s
9s
9s
9s
9s
9s
8s
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swell
windkm/h
10g17
9g19
7g22
4g13
6g8
9g16
6g17
1g12
10g25
6g12
9g18
9g22
9g24
9g23
8g15
8g13
4g13
13g31
18g43
19g38
20g54
17g50
16g41
17g38
13g36
9g19
9g22
8g23
15g36
15g40
9g28
28g54
29g66
20g69
16g58
13g30
16g34
9g36
7g35
8g30
11g19
11g23
9g29
12g35
11g34
10g19
10g23
9g28
11g34
10g33
tidem
7:08am0.6m
1:53pm1.7m
8:16pm0.8m
1:48am1.4m
8:03am0.6m
3:08pm1.8m
9:45pm0.8m
3:15am1.3m
9:13am0.6m
4:16pm1.9m
11:03pm0.7m
4:33am1.3m
10:20am0.5m
5:18pm2.0m
5:35am1.4m
11:20am0.5m
6:13pm2.1m
6:37am1.4m
12:20pm0.4m
7:06pm2.2m
1:48am0.4m
7:29am1.5m
1:15pm0.4m
7:52pm2.2m
2:31am0.3m
8:17am1.6m
2:03pm0.3m
8:38pm2.2m
3:09am0.3m
9:03am1.6m
2:49pm0.4m
9:19pm2.1m
3:48am0.3m
Night

Tide times today

7:08 am
Low tide - 0.55m
1:53 pm
High tide - 1.71m
8:16 pm
Low tide - 0.82m
Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

74
Good
Components
Swell Direction22/25
Swell Size11/25
Swell Period21/25
Wind20/25
Raw Score74/100
Confidence
Multiplier×1.00
Final Score74

Plan Your Strike

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Swell Requirements

Optimal direction
SE (135°)
Direction range
100° - 170°
Size range
0.5m - 1.8m
Ideal size
1.4m
Height multiplier
0.92×
Ideal period
11s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction
W (275°)
Offshore range
229° - 329°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide
all

Water temp

21°C

Wetsuit

Springsuit / 2mm

Difficulty

5/10

Crowd level

4/10

Access: Access from the Richmond River south wall. Carpark nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

What tide is best at Ballina South Wall?

Ballina South Wall handles all stages of the tide, so time your session around the wind instead. The live chart above shows the next few days.

What wind direction is offshore at Ballina South Wall?

Offshore wind at Ballina South Wall blows from the W (275°). Anything in the 229° to 329° range grooms the faces; outside it, expect chop or bumpy conditions.

What swell size and direction work best at Ballina South Wall?

Ballina South Wall wants SE swell (100° to 170°) between 0.5m and 1.8m, with a period of 11s or more for quality waves.

When is the best time of year to surf Ballina South Wall?

The main season at Ballina South Wall is Jun-Aug. A secondary window runs May, Sep. Winter SE groundswell. River mouth sand setup.

How do I get to Ballina South Wall?

Fly into BNK, then allow about 15 minutes by road. Access from the Richmond River south wall. Carpark nearby.

What kind of wave is Ballina South Wall?

Ballina South Wall is a beach break, a left-hander. Difficulty is rated 5/10.

Best Season

Peak: Jun-Aug

Secondary: May, Sep

Winter SE groundswell. River mouth sand setup.

Getting There

Airport
BNK
Drive time
15 min
Data quality
verified

Strike Log

Community Discussion