
Surf Forecasts:
Apollo Bay surf forecast from 17 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 22 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 12s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 24 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 15s period, SW swell with 7,527 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 18 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 14s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Apollo Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Apollo Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 14s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Apollo Bay in the next 16 days are 4.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 24) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 25) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Sat 18th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Fri 24th Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Apollo Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Looks like we’ve got a bit of a slow start before things fire up proper. There’s a gap of a few days before the first proper surf recommendation kicks in on Saturday 18 July, so don’t bother paddling out before then.
Alright, let’s talk about Apollo Bay. This spot’s a beach and point setup, fairly exposed to the swell, and it’s picking up a nice SW groundswell. The water temp’s about average for the time of year, so nothing weird there. The first real action hits Saturday morning 18 July: a clean 4ft SW swell with a 14-second period – that’s proper groundswell energy, and the wind’s light cross-off from the NW. The combined energy is moderate at 639, so enough grunt to get you moving. This is a solid start for the weekend.
Then Saturday afternoon 18 July goes glassy – zero wind, a clean 4ft SW swell, still that long period around 13 seconds. It’s a beauty, but it’s small, so don’t expect big barrels. Crowds are sometimes an issue here, so keep an eye out.
Sunday morning 19 July stays clean with a 3ft SSW swell, period 11 seconds, and light cross-off wind. The energy drops to 330, but it’s still surfable. Sunday afternoon gets a bit ordinary with cross-on breeze, so maybe call it early.
Monday 20 July morning sees a 3ft WSW swell with a very long 16-second period – that’s proper groundswell, but at a beach-and-point, long period can make it a bit straight. Wind’s cross-off, clean, and energy moderate at 359. It’s workable.
Tuesday 21 July is a steady run: 4ft SW swell, 14-second period, clean cross-off wind both morning and afternoon. Energy sits around 487 and 444 – consistent, not epic.
Now, Wednesday 22 July afternoon gets interesting. The wind turns offshore from the WSW at 25 km/h, and the swell jumps to 5ft SW, but note the period is short at 8 seconds – windswell, not groundswell. Energy’s moderate at 627, and it’s clean. This is a solid pick for experienced surfers, but that short period won’t have the same push as the longer stuff.
The big stuff starts Thursday 23 July. The swell builds to 7ft SW with a 14-second period, energy jumps to 1972 – strong. Wind is cross-off, clean. This is getting into expert territory, so beginners should sit this out. Friday 24 July keeps the swell at 8ft SW, 15-second period, energy 2190, and Friday afternoon brings offshore wind from the W at 25 km/h, making it clean. Still for experts only.
Saturday 25 July morning drops to 5ft SW, but the afternoon is the standout of the whole forecast. Saturday 25 July afternoon pumps a 12ft WSW swell, 12-second period, and offshore wind from the WNW at 20 km/h. The energy is massive at 4654 – strong to very strong. This is excellent for experienced surfers. Clean, powerful, and decent period. If you’re an expert, mark this in your calendar.
Sunday 26 July gets messy. Morning is poor surf conditions with a 4ft SW swell and cross-off wind, but the afternoon sees a 10ft WSW swell but with fresh breeze – not worth it.
Monday 27 July is another big day: 10ft SW swell, 12-second period, energy 4421, cross-off wind. Experts only, and it’s clean.
Tuesday 28 July morning you get offshore wind from the WNW, 10ft SSW swell with a very long 15-second period, energy 3776. That’s a standout for the reef and point sections – the long period will make it hollow and fast, but at the beach, it might be too straight. Still, excellent for experienced surfers.
Wednesday 29 July and Thursday 30 July keep the size up with 7ft to 13ft SSW swells, plenty of energy, but the wind is cross-off, not clean offshore. Thursday 30 July afternoon hits 13ft SSW, 11-second period, energy 6663 – that’s very strong, but it’s marginal for quality.
The absolute best of the forecast is Friday 31 July. Friday morning: 13ft SW swell, 12-second period, energy 6105, and light cross-off wind from the WNW. Friday afternoon: 12ft SW, glassy with SE wind at 5 km/h, energy 4863. Both sessions are clean and excellent for experienced surfers. This is the one to aim for.
After that, Saturday 1 August and Sunday 2 August turn ugly. Cross-on and onshore winds, choppy, poor conditions. The swell is still big but the wind kills it.
So overall, the standout is Friday 31 July – glassy, clean, powerful, and for the experts. Saturday 25 July afternoon is also a cracker. The rest of the second week has plenty of size but the wind and quality vary. Stay safe out there.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun morning, min 9°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 14°C on Tue morning, min 9°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | ||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SW 18 | WSW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 12 | SW 8 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
924 | 639 | 451 | 219 | 164 | 158 | 150 | 326 | 220 | 211 | 478 | 444 | 184 | 142 | 268 | 2155 | 1972 | 1680 | 2054 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:55AM2.40m | 3:03PM1.95m | 3:31AM2.34m | 3:56PM1.99m | 4:06AM2.24m | 4:48PM1.99m | 4:40AM2.10m | 5:40PM1.96m | 5:12AM1.95m | 6:35PM1.90m | 5:44AM1.79m | 7:37PM1.83m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:14AM0.54m | 9:05PM0.36m | 9:53AM0.40m | 9:51PM0.49m | 10:31AM0.31m | 10:37PM0.65m | 11:09AM0.27m | 11:22PM0.82m | 11:48AM0.28m | 00:10AM0.99m | 12:28PM0.34m | 1:06AM1.15m | |||||||
— | 7:39 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | |
— | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 10 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
Feels °C | 8 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 10 | WSW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 12 | SW 9 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 |
924 | 639 | 451 | 219 | 164 | 158 | 80 | 326 | 220 | 211 | 478 | 444 | 184 | 142 | 183 | 2155 | 1972 | 1680 | 2054 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SSW 12 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 18 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | E 11 | SW 14 | SW 12 | SW 13 | — | — | S 16 | SW 13 |
— | — | — | 140 | 106 | 60 | 150 | 33 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 149 | 72 | 176 | — | — | 5 | 1006 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SW 22 | SW 20 | SW 19 | WSW 12 | E 12 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | — | E 10 | SW 15 | E 10 | — | — | — | S 15 |
— | — | — | 18 | 60 | 58 | 57 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | 54 | 2 | — | — | — | 18 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 2 | — | SW 8 | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 268 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 57 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Otway | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Apollo Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Apollo Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Apollo Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Apollo Bay 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 (Apollo Bay) 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 Apollo Bay 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.
Apollo Bay is 91 km (57 miles) from the city of Geelong West. If you plan a holiday in Cape Otway, look for hotels and other accommodation in Geelong West. Geelong West has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










