Bells Beach - Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again, but this time in old-school numbers.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a bit of a wait. The first real chance for a paddle comes Thursday morning, July 9th, at the Bowl. It’s not a huge day, but it’s clean. We’re looking at a 3ft SW groundswell with a long 16-second period, and the water is sitting at 58°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year. The combined energy is moderate at 471, and with a light N wind keeping it cross-off, the surface will be clean. Friday morning, July 10th, is a similar story—3ft SW, 15 seconds, and a light N cross-off breeze. These are solid, clean, workable waves for the advanced crew.

Now, Saturday and Sunday are a write-off. Saturday, July 11th, the swell drops to 2ft, and though the wind is good, the energy is a weak 134. Sunday, July 12th, the swell jumps up to 6ft, even hitting 12ft in the afternoon, but the wind is howling from the WNW and W at 25 mph. The energy spikes to 5980 in the afternoon, but that’s just raw power with no control. It’s too big and too messy for a standard paddle. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Monday, July 13th, through Tuesday, July 14th, sees the swell drop back to a still-juicy 6ft to 8ft range, with clean offshore winds from the NW on Monday, switching to a solid cross-off from the WNW on Tuesday. The period is a very long 16 seconds, and the energy is strong, between 1478 and 2808. This is expert territory—waves over 8ft, long-period groundswell that will be closing out the beach sections but offering some proper, lined-up walls at the point and reef. The wind is fresh, but it’s offshore, so it’ll be clean.

By Wednesday, July 15th, the wind shifts onshore from the SE, and the quality drops. Thursday, July 16th, is a mess with onshore wind and fading swell.

The real standout is Friday, July 17th. The morning session is the pick of the entire forecast. The wind is glassy, completely calm from the NNE, and the swell is a clean 4ft from the SW with a 16-second period. The combined energy is a solid 717. It’s going to be as clean as it gets, with those long-period lines wrapping in perfectly. The crowd profile says "sometimes" at the Bowl, so for a Friday morning with these conditions, expect a few others with the same idea.

Saturday, July 18th, is another good one. The wind is offshore from the NNW at 6 mph, with a 5ft SW swell and 15-second period. The energy is 856. This is a proper, fun weekend day—clean, punchy, and not as big as the Monday-Tuesday spike.

The following week, from July 20th onward, the swell drops and the wind gets messy. There’s a brief window on Friday, July 24th, with a 3ft SSW swell and a moderate offshore wind from the NNW, but it’s small and inconsistent. Not a standout.

To wrap it up: the best on offer is hands-down Friday morning, July 17th, for the glassy conditions and solid, long-period swell. The second-best is Saturday, July 18th, with clean offshore wind and a similar size. Don’t bother with the huge, windy Sunday or the small, onshore days after.

Rusty.

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