Bells Beach - Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve got a good look at what’s coming for the next couple of weeks. The standout is hands down Bells Beach – Bowl (Advanced), and it’s all about the first few days and then a couple of sneaky windows later.

We start with a solid pulse on Wednesday the 2nd of September. Wednesday morning, the swell is 5 ft from the SW, but it’s the afternoon that gets the blood pumping – 5 ft SW swell with a 15-second period, clean offshore WNW winds at 15 mph, and the combined energy is pumping at 1220. That’s a classic Bells bowl, proper groundswell, and it’s going to be a cracker. The water’s sitting at 57°, which is about normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Thursday the 3rd is a monster, but it’s for the brave. The swell jumps to 15 ft SW in the afternoon, period 14 seconds, and the energy is huge at 9711. That’s a big, powerful swell – only for the experts. The wind is cross-off from the W at 15 mph, so it’s clean but heavy. Beginners, stay on the beach for this one.

Friday the 4th is a real treat. Morning sees 8 ft SW swell, 16-second period, with a gentle offshore from the NW at 9 mph. That’s 2558 energy, and it’s clean, glassy conditions. The afternoon holds similar with 7 ft SW. This is one of the best windows: solid, long-period groundswell, clean conditions, and that Bells point is going to be lined up. Crowds are possible here, so get in early.

Saturday the 5th gets blown out. Winds are howling from the WNW at 28 mph in the morning, making it a mess. Even though the swell is 5 ft, that wind is too strong for any kind of fun. The afternoon is not much better with 25 mph winds – leave it.

Sunday the 6th calm down. Morning has 5 ft SW swell, 14 seconds, and a light breeze from the WNW at 6 mph. It’s clean, but the energy is down to 1006. It’s surfable, but not the highlight.

Monday the 7th is a write-off. Swell drops to 3 ft and the wind is cross-shore from the SSW at 12 mph. Poor conditions.

Then we hit a quiet patch. Tuesday the 8th brings a glimmer – 5 ft SW swell, 18-second period in the morning, with gentle offshore WNW winds at 9 mph. That’s a very long period groundswell, and it’ll be peeling nicely at the Bowl, but the size is modest. Energy is 1571. Afternoon is similar with 5 ft, 17 seconds.

Wednesday the 9th gets messy again. Winds pick up to 19 mph from the SW, cross-shore, making the 10 ft SW swell lumpy. Not for the faint-hearted.

From Thursday the 10th onwards, things get smaller and more inconsistent. There’s a decent window on Saturday the 12th afternoon – 4 ft SW swell, 14 seconds, with moderate offshore winds from the WNW at 12 mph. Clean, but small. Energy is 764.

The rest of the second week is mostly small, with waves under 3 ft and mixed winds. Tuesday the 15th afternoon has 2 ft SW, 17 seconds, with light cross-off winds – clean but tiny. Thursday the 17th afternoon shows 4 ft SW, 16 seconds, with moderate cross-off winds – worth a look if you’re desperate.

Overall, the first week is the go. Standout sessions are Wednesday afternoon the 2nd, Friday the 4th all day, and Sunday the 6th morning. The long-period swells on the 8th and 15th are promising but small. After that, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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