Bells Beach - Bowl Surf Break

Lat Long: 38.37° S 144.28° E

Bells Beach - Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 3 am 25 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Bells Beach - Bowl sea temperature is
13.8° C
0.4° 

Bells Beach - Bowl surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Bells Beach - Bowl surf forecast from 24 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 1 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 18s period, SSW swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 29 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 16s period, SW swell with 10,269 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 26 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 11s period with SSW swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Bells Beach - Bowl this week:

The surf forecast for Bells Beach - Bowl over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 26) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 18s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Bells Beach - Bowl in the next 16 days are 4.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 29) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 4s period and expected on Monday (Jul 27) at 10PM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 7AM (Sun 26th Jul)4.5ft (1.3m) 11s
Best Surf 7AM (Sat 1st Aug)6ft (1.9m) 18s
Most Powerful 7AM (Wed 29th Jul)15ft (4.5m) 16s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bells Beach - Bowl over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s break it down.

We’ve got a long stretch ahead, but it’s a slow burner. The first recommended surf isn’t until Saturday, July 26th, so there’s a couple of quiet days before anything worth getting wet for. The big standout is Bells Beach – Bowl (reef and point). It’s a consistent spot, so you can bank on it.

The water temp is about normal for this time of year.

Right, from Saturday, July 26th, the morning has light rain and a 20 km/h cross-off wind, with a 11.5 ft swell from the SW, period 12 seconds. That’s massive energy (4740), but it’s over 8 ft, so only for experts. The afternoon drops to 9.8 ft from the SW, still powerful (3294), with the same cross-off wind. Clean, but you need to be on it.

Sunday, July 27th, the swell drops hard. Morning is 4.3 ft from the SSW, 11 seconds, with a cross-off wind. Energy is moderate (399). The afternoon is the pick: 3.9 ft from the SSW, 11 seconds, and the wind goes offshore from the WNW at 10 km/h. Clean, small, fun.

Monday, July 28th, swell is tiny—3.0 ft to 2.6 ft from the SW, 11 seconds. Morning has a gentle offshore from the NNW, so it’s glassy. Small wave stuff.

Tuesday, July 29th, morning swell picks up to 3.6 ft from the SW, period 13 seconds, with a fresh offshore from the NW at 30 km/h. That’s a strong offshore, but energy is moderate (395). The afternoon gets messy with 35 km/h cross-off and a 2.3 ft swell from the SW with a very long period of 15 seconds. Wind is howling, so skip it.

Wednesday, July 30th, morning swell jumps to 7.9 ft from the SSW, 15 seconds, with a cross-shore wind. Energy is high (2685). This is a long-period groundswell, and at Bells, a reef and point, that’s a dream. But at 7.9 ft, it’s expert territory. The afternoon drops to 6.6 ft from the SSW, 14 seconds, still solid (1676), but a cross-chop builds.

Thursday, July 31st, both sessions are small, clean, with light cross-off winds. 3.9 ft to 3.6 ft from the SW, 13 seconds. Energy moderate (494 and 376). Good for a cruise.

Now, the standout. Friday, August 1st, morning: 4.3 ft from the SSW, period 13 seconds, with a moderate offshore from the WNW at 20 km/h. Energy moderate (660), but clean. The afternoon is better: 4.9 ft from the SSW, 14 seconds, with a cross-off wind. Energy jumps to 1107. This is the best of the first week.

Saturday, August 2nd, afternoon: 4.9 ft from the SSW, with a very long period of 16 seconds. That’s serious groundswell energy (1388), and the wind is light and cross-off. Excellent for experienced surfers. The long period will make Bells reel.

Sunday, August 3rd, morning: 5.9 ft from the SW, period 18 seconds. That’s a long, powerful groundswell (2199), with a gentle cross-off wind. Clean. This is the real standout—big, clean, long-period. The afternoon goes onshore, so get out early.

After that, the second week is patchy. Monday, August 4th, is small (4.6 ft) from the SW, period 15 seconds, with light cross-shore winds. Not bad. Tuesday, August 5th, is similar: 4.3 ft to 4.6 ft from the SSW, with moderate cross-off winds. Wednesday, August 6th, morning has 4.3 ft from the SSW, 13 seconds, with a moderate cross-off, energy moderate (1266). The afternoon drops to 3.6 ft.

Then Thursday, August 7th, the swell swings to the SE with a short period of 8 seconds. That’s a windswell, and at 7.5 ft, it’s big but messy. Energy moderate (1093 and 1120). The wind

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon morning, min 10°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WNW on Sun afternoon, fresh winds from the NNW by Mon night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 12°C on Tue morning, min 6°C on Tue night). Mainly fresh winds.

Saturday
25
Sunday
26
Monday
27
Tuesday
28
Wednesday
29
Thursday
30
Friday
31
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
5
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
0
0
0
8
7
2
3
3
2
2
3
4
3
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
3.5
SW
12
1.7
SSW
12
1.5
SSW
12
1.3
SSW
11
1.1
SW
11
1
SW
10
0.9
SW
11
0.8
SW
11
1
SW
14
1
SW
13
0.7
SW
15
4
SW
14
4.5
SW
15
2
SSW
14
1.6
SW
14
1.3
SSW
13
1.2
SSW
13
0.9
SSW
12
1.3
SSW
12
1.4
SSW
14
1.4
SSW
13
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
3769
908
636
372
268
212
166
150
390
342
220
7227
7993
1690
920
563
430
273
481
785
669
Wind (km/h)
20
WSW
20
W
20
W
15
WNW
5
WNW
10
NW
15
NNW
20
N
30
NNW
25
WNW
30
W
25
SW
20
SSW
20
SW
15
WSW
15
W
10
WSW
10
W
15
WNW
5
WNW
10
NW
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
glassy
off
High Tide
6:37PM1.52m
8:44AM1.51m
7:19PM1.43m
9:57AM1.51m
8:17PM1.36m
11:09AM1.55m
9:38PM1.32m
12:07PM1.63m
11:00PM1.33m
12:51PM1.71m
00:08AM1.38m
1:28PM1.78m
1:02AM1.46m
Low Tide
1:11PM1.00m
1:35AM0.44m
2:12PM1.09m
2:29AM0.49m
3:35PM1.13m
3:34AM0.51m
5:06PM1.10m
4:41AM0.50m
6:14PM1.02m
5:41AM0.46m
7:02PM0.92m
6:32AM0.42m
7:40PM0.80m
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:31
7:30
7:28
7:28
7:26
7:26
7:26
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:28
5:28
5:29
5:30
5:30
5:31
5:31
 mm
2
4
3
Temp °C
13
13
11
13
14
13
15
15
14
12
11
11
12
11
10
11
12
11
13
14
11
Feels °C
7
9
6
10
12
11
10
10
8
7
4
6
6
6
6
7
9
8
10
12
8
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Bells Beach - Bowl:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Bells Beach - Bowl surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


Information about the Bells Beach - Bowl Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Bells Beach - Bowl provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Bells Beach - Bowl can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Bells Beach - Bowl 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 (Bells Beach - Bowl) 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 Bells Beach - Bowl 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.

Bells Beach - Bowl is 26 km (16 miles) from the city of Geelong. If you plan a holiday in Torquay, look for hotels and other accommodation in Geelong. Geelong has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

Nearest locationNearest