Ball Bay
Surf spot · Norfolk Island
Is it worth the trip?
60Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 7 s, 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 202kJ
- Wind
- E 2 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 165kJ
- Wind
- NNE 8 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 131kJ
- Wind
- NNW 11 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 106kJ
- Wind
- NW 17 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 124kJ
- Wind
- NNE 1 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 136kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Mon 9 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 180kJ
- Wind
- WNW 12 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 227, poor
- Tue 344, poor
- Wed 460, good
- Thu 570, good
- Fri 665, good
- Sat 755, fair
- Sun 860, good
- Mon 944, poor
- Tue 100, too big
- Wed 110, too big
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–12 ftof swell
- Water 21 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Oct–Dec1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Ball Bay does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 27, poor | 5 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 101kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 11 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 44, poor | 5 ft6 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 202kJ | wind from the east, 2 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 60, good | 5 ft7 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 165kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 8 knots | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 70, good | 4 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 131kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 11 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 65, good | 3 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 106kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 17 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 55, fair | 4 ft7 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 124kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 1 knot | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 60, good | 4 ft7 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 136kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 44, poor | 4 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 180kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 12 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1,177kJ | wind from the west, 11 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1,031kJ | wind from the west, 11 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 56, fair | 6 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 391kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 20°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:18 +0.4 mLow 06:31 −0.6 mHigh 13:14 +0.6 mLow 19:41 −0.4 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 01:30 +0.3 mLow 07:41 −0.5 mHigh 14:22 +0.6 mLow 20:54 −0.4 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 02:50 +0.3 mLow 08:58 −0.5 mHigh 15:29 +0.5 mLow 22:01 −0.5 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Oct–Dec
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Ball Bay on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
4 places
- Cemetery Bay 1.7 km away
- Kingston 2 km away
- Bumboras 4.1 km away
- Anson Bay, Norfolk Island 8.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ball Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (121°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (301°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 4). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 19°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually October, November and December, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Burnt Pine, 4.3 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.
Water about 21°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,360–US$2,640 each
about US$1,360–US$2,640 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to NLK, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and BNE, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$832–US$1,720 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$34 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$329 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$416 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,360–US$2,640 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Burnt Pine
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 10 min by car · 26 places to stay
About Burnt Pine its beds, food and every spot near it
Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 31h 30m
About 31h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → NLK, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Brisbane International Airport (BNE), then 20 min by road
Flights MDW → NLK on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.