Bells Beach - Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s coming for Bells Beach – Bowl. This is a classic reef and point break that’s wide open to the southwest, built for advanced surfers. Water’s sitting at about 57°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so it’s not as bone-chilling as usual, but you’ll still want a thick wetsuit.

The next couple of days are pretty flat and boring. Monday the 14th has tiny 2ft SW swell with weak energy (166). Morning has a light offshore breeze, so it’ll be clean, but there’s just no push. By afternoon the wind goes cross-offshore, and it stays small. Tuesday the 15th sees a big jump in energy – 1367 in the morning, up to 2323 by the afternoon – with swell building to 7ft and then 8ft from the SW. But the wind is fresh and cross-shore, making it lumpy and hard to surf. Not a fun paddle.

Wednesday the 16th is a total mess with strong cross-onshore winds and choppy 8ft SSW swell. Leave the board at home. Thursday the 17th is a little better with 6ft SSW swell and lighter cross-shore breeze, but it’s still marginal and chopped.

Now Friday the 18th is where it gets good. We’ve got 5ft SSW swell in the morning, dropping to 5ft in the afternoon, with clean offshore NW wind at 12 mph. The period is 17 seconds in the morning and 16 seconds in the afternoon – proper groundswell – and the energy is strong at 2277 and 1808. This is a standout: clean, powerful, and lining up perfectly for the Bowl. It’s going to be a great day for experienced surfers, and with crowds only sometimes an issue, you might snag some gems. Saturday the 19th keeps the offshore wind but the swell drops to 4ft and then 3ft, so it’s smaller and weaker (448 and 262 energy). Still fun on a log.

Sunday the 20th starts with a fresh offshore but only 4ft SW swell with a short 12-second period, so it’s average. By afternoon the swell jumps to 8ft SW with 12 seconds and energy of 2343, but the wind is cross-offshore and strong at 18 mph. It’s clean-ish but tricky.

Looking ahead, Monday the 21st sees a big 10ft SSW swell with 16 seconds and energy of 4574 in the afternoon – that’s serious power. But the wind is cross-onshore, so it’ll be choppy and tough. This is expert-only and not ideal. Tuesday the 22nd is another highlight: 7ft SSW swell dropping to 6ft, with light offshore winds and a long 16 to 15 second period. Energy is 2637 and 1527, and conditions are clean and glassy. This is the other standout – smooth, powerful, and offshore all day. If you can wait until Tuesday the 22nd, that’s your best call.

From Wednesday the 23rd onward, the swell fades and the wind gets mixed. Thursday the 24th has some 4ft SSW groundswell but onshore wind, and by Friday the 25th it’s small and rainy with poor conditions. The weekend of the 26th is tiny again, with 2ft to 3ft SW swell. The 27th brings a strong 25 mph cross-offshore wind with 5ft SW swell and a very long 19 second period – energy of 2449 – but the wind is howling, so it’s more of a battle. The last few days of the month are average with small, choppy surf.

So the real standouts are Friday the 18th and Tuesday the 22nd. Both have solid SSW swell, clean offshore wind, and long period groundswell hitting the Bowl just right. Tuesday might edge it with lighter wind. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or too messy to get excited about. Get out there on those two days.

Rusty.

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