Bells Beach - Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here, and I’ve got the outlook for our local stretch. The first week is looking pretty special, with a solid pulse of groundswell and mostly clean conditions, but things get a bit messy in the second week. Let’s get into it.

The action kicks off on Wednesday the 15th of July. Bells Beach – Bowl is the standout, and it’s the one to watch. We’ve got a solid SW groundswell running at 5.2 ft, with a long 14-second period—that’s proper energy, and it’s going to wrap in nicely here. The water temp is sitting at 57.2°, which is about average for this time of year. The wind is a light W at 9 mph, cross-off, keeping the waves clean. The combined swell energy is 1094, so there’s plenty of power. This is a reef and point setup and it’s consistent, so expect some proper lines. The crowd factor is “sometimes,” so you might have a few out, but with this quality, it’s worth it. This is for advanced surfers only, though—at 5.2 ft, it’s got some push.

Moving into Thursday the 16th, the morning sees the swell bumping up to 6.2 ft from the SSW, with a 15-second period and a combined energy of 1692. The wind is a light WSW at 6 mph, cross-off, keeping it clean. Then in the afternoon, it drops slightly to 5.9 ft from the SW, but the wind goes glassy—S at 3 mph, which is a dream. The energy is still 1518. This is the best on offer for the week: clean, powerful, and long-period groundswell. The long period means it’s going to be a bit more selective at the point, but when it lines up, it’s world-class.

Friday the 17th is another cracker. Morning brings 5.2 ft from the SW at 16 seconds, with a NW offshore breeze at 6 mph, and combined energy of 1348. The afternoon is glassy again with a WNW breeze at 3 mph, and the swell sits at 4.9 ft with 16 seconds. This is prime, clean surf.

Saturday the 18th starts to drop off. The morning is 3.3 ft from the SW at 14 seconds, with a NW offshore at 6 mph, and energy of 387. It’s still surfable, but the size is down. The afternoon goes glassy with 2.6 ft, and the energy is 250.

Sunday the 19th through to Wednesday the 22nd is a quieter period, with swells hovering around 1.6 ft to 2.3 ft. The winds are mostly offshore, but the energy is low—dropping from 194 down to 111. It’s surfable on a longboard, but nothing to get excited about.

Then Thursday the 23rd shows a bit of a pulse. The morning has a 1.6 ft swell from the SW, but with a very long 18-second period and energy of 274. The offshore wind is NW at 12 mph, so it’s clean. The afternoon is where it picks up: 4.3 ft from the SW at 16 seconds, with a NW offshore at 9 mph, and energy jumping to 917. This is looking promising, but it’s a week away, so keep an eye on it.

Friday the 24th gets messy. The swell is 4.9 ft from the SW, but the wind swings to a cross-shore SW at 12 mph, bringing a cross-chop. The energy is still 924, but the quality is poor. This is more kite-surfing territory than paddle.

Saturday the 25th is a surprise. The swell jumps to 7.9 ft from the SSW, with a 16-second period and a massive energy of 2986. The wind is a cross-off WSW at 9 mph, and it’s clean. The afternoon holds at 7.5 ft with energy of 2798, and the wind is light. This is a big swell—well over 8 ft, so it’s only for experts. It’s going to be powerful and heavy, and with that long period, it’ll be breaking straight at the beach, so the point here will be the spot to handle it.

Sunday the 26th sees the swell drop to 4.9 ft, but the wind is a fresh offshore NW at 19 mph, which is strong. The energy is 1002, but the wind is howling, so it’s going to be choppy and hard to manage.

Monday the 27th brings another big pulse: 8.2 ft in the morning from the SSW, with a 16-second period and energy of 3273. But the wind is a cross-

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