The Pass
Also known as: -
Byron's iconic long right-hand sand point and longboard mecca - dreamy peelers, an epic lighthouse backdrop, and famously heavy crowds.
Best time to surf
Works much of the year; best on autumn/winter groundswells (Mar-Aug) plus summer cyclone/E swells
Shoulder season: Good - catches NE windswell and E pulses in spring; generally surfable year-round
The wave
Break type: Point break (right)
Bottom: Sand (sand-bottom point wrapping off the rock headland)
Wave direction: Right
Typical wave length: Long - peels from the rock outcrop toward Clarkes Beach; rides can run 100m+
Ideal swell: E / NE through ESE; works ~1ft to ~10ft
Ideal wind: SE offshore (also SW favourable)
Working tide: All tides; low-to-mid best, rising favourable
Difficulty & skill
Difficulty (1-5): 3 (crowd and rocks raise real-world difficulty; sandy inside is beginner-usable)
Skill level: All levels - beginner (inside white-water) to advanced (full point); a classic longboard wave
Options for a mixed group: Advanced/intermediate on the point; beginners in the sandy inside (main lesson zone) or nearby Clarkes/Main Beach
Safety & hazards
Rocks at the headland takeoff, strong along-point current on size, heavy crowd/board traffic
Nearest patrol Byron Bay Main Beach (Byron Bay SLSC); Byron Central Hospital ED, Ewingsdale (02 6639 9400); 000
Crowd, access & conditions
Crowd & localism: Extremely crowded - Byron's marquee break and longboard mecca; competitive but not notably aggressive
Access & parking: The Pass car park off Brooke Drive (Cape Byron); very popular, fills early; short walk to the break
Surf schools & rental: Style Surfing Byron Bay and Let's Go Surfing (both licensed in Byron, run beginner lessons at The Pass/Clarkes); Byron Bay Surf School; Soul Surf School
Water temp & wetsuit: ~19-25 C; boardshorts/springsuit summer, 3/2 steamer or springsuit winter
Crowds, access and local conditions change - confirm locally before you paddle out.
Around the break
Facilities: Car park, toilets, nearby kiosk; Clarkes/Main Beach amenities minutes away in town
For non-surfers: Cape Byron lighthouse and coastal walk, headland lookouts, Byron township cafes and markets
Location
Nearest hub: Byron Bay (NSW)
-28.6345, 153.6305 (approximate)
Live conditions
Today's swell, wind and tide are a runtime layer - check the live sources: NSW National Parks (Byron surf lessons); Surfline The Pass; Surf-Forecast The Pass
This profile is desk research, compiled from public sources - not a first-hand surf report. Coordinates are approximate.