Surf Forecasts:
Bells Beach - Bowl surf forecast from 15 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 22 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 22 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 16s period, SW swell with 6,117 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 16 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 14s period with SW 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 (Aug 16) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Bells Beach - Bowl in the next 16 days are 3.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 22) 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 0.9m 5s period and expected on Monday (Aug 17) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sun 16th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 7PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bells Beach - Bowl over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, it’s Rusty. Let’s have a proper look at the next couple of weeks for the Bells Beach Bowl. This is a spot that can get real good when the planets align, and while the start of this run is a bit quiet, there’s some solid size and clean conditions on the way, especially for the crew who aren't afraid of a bit of juice.
Right off the bat, the first few days are going to be a tease. The water temp is sitting at 55.9°F, which is just about spot on for the middle of August. No dramas there. But the surf itself is looking pretty marginal through Sunday the 16th and Monday the 17th. We’ve got some SW swell in the water around 3.6ft to 4.3ft, with a long 14 to 16 second period, but the wind is blowing cross-on from the ESE and SSE. That’s putting a bit of chop on the face and making things messy. The energy is moderate, around the 545 to 675 mark, but it’s not doing us any favors. It’s a bit of a struggle just to find a half-decent one. Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th are worse. The swell drops right away, down to 2ft, the wind picks up from the NNE and N at 20 to 30 km/h. Even though it's cross-off and looks clean, there’s just no power. The energy drops to weak levels, down around 84 to 387. It's a real flat spell, nothing doing.
We get a little glimmer of hope on Thursday the 20th with a bit of groundswell at 2ft and a NW offshore wind, but it’s still pretty ordinary. It’s only on Friday the 21st that the Bowl starts to show its teeth. A fresh NW breeze at 15 to 20 km/h builds some clean, lined-up waves. The swell is only 2.3ft, but the period stretches out to 18 seconds and the energy jumps back to a moderate 668. The comment says "expect very good surf conditions" and I’m with that. It’s small, but it’s clean and it’s got that push. This is the first real pick of the week for the more patient surfer.
And then, hold onto your boardies. Saturday the 22nd the ocean wakes right up. There’s a big pulse of SW swell that hits early morning. We’re talking 11.5ft with a 15 second period, and the energy is strong, way up at 7455. That’s a serious amount of water moving. The wind is a cross-off from the WSW at 20 km/h, so it’s not perfect, but it's workable. This is big for the Bowl, definitely not one for the beginners. If you’re an experienced surfer, this is where it gets interesting, but even then, it’s a handful. It backs off a bit into the afternoon to 6.2ft, but the energy is still strong at 1705.
Sunday the 23rd settles down into a much more manageable size. We’re looking at a steady 5.2ft of SW swell with a 15 second period. The wind goes offshore from the NW at 25 km/h, and the conditions are described as excellent for experienced surfers. The energy is a strong 1206. This is a fantastic day. Clean, powerful lines reeling down the reef. Crowds are possible here, but if you’re out there, you’ll be getting some of the best waves of the run. This is a standout.
Monday the 24th is another one for the big-wave crew only. The swell jumps back up to a solid 13.1ft with a 14 second period and the energy is through the roof at 6997 in the morning, then 7916 in the afternoon. It’s howling a bit more with the wind, with WSW at 30 km/h for a cross-off. The forecast says "exceptional surf conditions for expert surfers," and that’s exactly what it is. It’s huge, powerful and shallow out there. If you’re not 100% dialed in, give this one a miss. This is a standout, but it’s a serious one.
After that, the swell starts to fade. Tuesday the 25th drops to 6.6ft but the wind swings south, bringing a cross-on and choppy conditions. The energy is still strong at 1469, but it's messy. From here on, the rest of the window is a step down. The next obvious high point is Thursday the 27th. We get a rise back to 5.2ft of SW groundswell with an 18 second period, and the energy is strong at 2694. There’s a light NNE cross-off wind, and the conditions are looking clean and excellent for experienced surfers. This is the last real standout of the period, another solid day for your diary.
Friday the 28th through to Sunday the 30th offers a mix. There are some
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Tue night. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue afternoon, min 10°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Wed morning, min 7°C on Fri night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | 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) | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 18 | WSW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
621 | 545 | 384 | 574 | 661 | 485 | 238 | 310 | 196 | 137 | 84 | 54 | 190 | 159 | 160 | 149 | 304 | 4844 | 5805 | 1407 | 1552 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 2:09PM1.97m | 2:32AM1.88m | 2:45PM1.97m | 3:19AM1.91m | 3:19PM1.94m | 4:01AM1.89m | 3:51PM1.88m | 4:41AM1.83m | 4:21PM1.80m | 5:20AM1.75m | 4:50PM1.71m | 6:00AM1.66m | 5:19PM1.62m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:24PM0.29m | 8:36AM0.34m | 9:03PM0.19m | 9:18AM0.42m | 9:40PM0.15m | 9:56AM0.52m | 10:16PM0.17m | 10:31AM0.63m | 10:50PM0.22m | 11:06AM0.74m | 11:24PM0.30m | 11:40AM0.86m | 00:01AM0.39m | ||||||||
7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | |
— | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:51 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 10 |
Feels °C | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | NNE 4 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 16 |
621 | 545 | 384 | 574 | 661 | 485 | 238 | 310 | 196 | 137 | 84 | 7 | 190 | 159 | 160 | 149 | 304 | 1137 | 1650 | 1407 | 1552 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 14 | — | SE 5 | ESE 4 | S 17 | ESE 6 | SW 14 | ESE 5 | SE 4 | ESE 5 | ESE 7 | SW 14 | NE 7 | SW 6 | SSW 6 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 16 | — | SW 18 | SSW 15 |
36 | — | 6 | 8 | 5 | 55 | 149 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 54 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 68 | 245 | 834 | — | 260 | 45 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 5 | SE 5 | S 16 | E 7 | — | SW 18 | S 6 | E 8 | SW 22 | SW 19 | SW 11 | — | — | S 15 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | 26 | 7 | 5 | 1 | — | 54 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 133 | 119 | — | — | 38 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | ESE 4 | — | ESE 5 | — | — | NE 3 | NE 3 | NE 4 | NNE 4 | NNE 4 | — | — | — | — | WSW 2 | WSW 16 | SW 15 | — | W 3 |
— | — | 15 | — | 9 | — | — | 3 | 2 | 20 | 19 | 19 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 4844 | 5805 | — | 5 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 19 | 75 | 0 | 9 | 33 | 9 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 29 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Torquay | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











