The Pass (Byron Bay) Surf Season
NSW, Australia · part of the The Pass (Byron Bay) spot guide
The Pass runs on two engines: Coral Sea and Tasman cyclones with their east-to-northeast swell (the warm-season primary), and Southern Ocean and Tasman southeast groundswell in the cooler months, which wraps hardest of all. Prime is roughly February through June, with the late-summer and autumn cyclone window the standout.
Where the swell comes from
Coral Sea and Tasman tropical cyclones drive the biggest days with east-to-northeast swell; Southern Ocean and Tasman lows add southeast groundswell that wraps deep around the cape but loses the most size doing so.
Historic swells at The Pass (Byron Bay)
Cyclone Oma
The benchmark — the Cape Byron buoy read up to about 10 metres, with big Pass and Clarkes erosion, and days of rideable, crowded point surf.
Cyclone Alfred
A severe system drove open-ocean heights of 5 to 8 metres up the coast, though the cape’s shelter kept Byron’s impact surprisingly benign relative to the exposed beaches.