Bells Beach - Bowl Surf Break

Lat Long: 38.37° S 144.28° E

Bells Beach - Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 3 pm 16 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Bells Beach - Bowl sea temperature is
13.3° C
0.4° 

Bells Beach - Bowl surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Bells Beach - Bowl surf forecast from 16 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 22 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 15s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 23 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 17s period, SW swell with 2,162 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 17 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 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 Monday (Aug 17) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 4s. 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 1.9m 17s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 4s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 10AM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 1AM (Mon 17th Aug)3.5ft (1.0m) 14s
Best Surf10PM (Sat 22nd Aug)6ft (1.8m) 15s
Most Powerful 1PM (Sun 23rd Aug)6ft (1.9m) 17s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bells Beach - Bowl over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

G’day, it’s Rusty. Look, I’ll level with ya – the next 16 days have some serious ups and downs for the Bells Beach area. We’re not looking at a paradise right now; the opening stretch is pretty grim with small dribble and junky winds. But hold onto ya board, because the back half of the run – especially around Saturday the 23rd of August – brings some proper Bells power and clean conditions that’ll have the regulars frothin’.

Right now, for Sunday the 16th of August afternoon, it’s clear skies but onshore SE breeze at 6 mph killing any chance of fun. The swell’s a limp 4 ft from the SSW with a weak 14-second period and combined energy of 545 (moderate energy). Water temp is sitting at 56°, which is bang on average for this time of year. Honestly, it’s a write-off.

Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th ain’t much better. A bit of SW groundswell pushing through with periods up to 16 seconds, but the wind’s all wrong – cross-on and cross-off, bumpy, and the swell height barely scrapes 3–3 ft. The energy bumps up to 674 on Monday arvo, but with onshore wind and a “light cross-onshore with small wind ripples” report, it’s just frustrating. Keep the stick in the car.

Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th drop off a cliff. Swell cratering to 1 ft, energy down to 84–175, and a fresh to strong NNE breeze (22 mph) that’s cross-off on Wednesday, then a moderate NW offshore on Thursday but the swell’s too tiny – 1–2 ft. You’d be chasing whitewash.

Now Friday the 21st of August gives us our first little glimmer. Cloudy skies, but a gentle NW offshore breeze at 9 mph, and the swell picks up to 3–4 ft from the SW with a 12- to 14-second period. Combined energy jumps to 563–977 (moderate to strong). The report says “expect very good surf conditions.” For a savvy surfer, the morning session with the gentle offshore and clean lines is worth a paddle. Not a standout, but a solid warm-up.

Saturday the 22nd of August looks messy. Morning has some clouds and a WSW cross-off at 12 mph with 5 ft SW swell (16 seconds) and energy of 1060 (strong). But by afternoon the wind swings SSW cross-on at 9 mph, the swell bumps to 6 ft, and it gets fairly choppy. It’s a miss.

Here’s the real deal: Saturday the 23rd of August – if you can only surf one day in this whole outlook, this is it. Bells Beach – Bowl (reef and point, advanced level) is on fire. Morning has clear skies, a solid NW offshore breeze at 12 mph, and a 6 ft SSW groundswell with a 16-second period. Combined energy is 1940 (strong to very strong). The report says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” The afternoon holds similar glory – 6 ft, 17-second period, energy 2032 (very strong), still clean and offshore. This is the standout. The 6 ft at Bells with that direction and offshore wind is what dreams are made of for experienced crew. Crowds are “sometimes” an issue here, so expect a few locals out, but with quality like this, it’ll be worth the company.

Sunday the 24th of August takes a turn. Swell drops to 5 ft, wind swings SW cross at 12–19 mph, and by afternoon it’s fresh cross-shore with lumpy cross-chop. Poor.

From Monday the 25th all the way through to Saturday the 30th of August, the run is mostly small to average. A few bright spots though: on Saturday the 29th of August morning, you’ve got glassy conditions (NW 3 mph) with 3 ft SW swell (14 seconds) and energy of 532 – “expect very good surf conditions.” Then Saturday afternoon goes nuts with glassy SE 3 mph, 5 ft SW swell at 18 seconds (very long period groundswell), and energy of 2027 (very strong). The report says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” This is another true standout – that 18-second period groundswell at Bells (a reef and point) will produce long, clean walls. Keep in mind, long-period SW swell at Bells can be pretty special, and with glassy winds, it’s a gem. That’s the second best on offer.

Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st iron out to clean but small – 2–3 ft SW swell with light offshore winds. Good for a cruise, not a hero session.

So, to sum it up: the first week is mostly painful, but mark your calendar for Saturday the 23rd of August (morning or arvo) and Saturday the 29th of August (afternoon) for Bells at its best. The 23rd is the bigger standout for raw power, the 29th for that super-long period glassy perfection.

Stay salty, and don’t sleep on those two dates.

- Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue afternoon, min 10°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun night, fresh winds from the NNE by Wed morning).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Thu morning, min 8°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNE on Wed afternoon, light winds from the NW by Thu night).

Sun
16
Monday
17
Tuesday
18
Wednesday
19
Thursday
20
Friday
21
Saturday
22
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
1
1
1
2
3
3
3
3
1
4
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.2
SSW
14
1
SW
14
1
SW
16
1.1
SW
16
1.1
SW
15
0.6
SW
17
0.8
SW
16
0.6
SW
16
0.5
SW
15
0.4
SW
15
0.3
SW
19
0.4
SW
17
0.6
SW
16
0.8
SW
14
1
SW
12
1.1
SW
14
1.2
SW
16
1.5
SW
16
1.8
SW
15
1.7
SW
15
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
545
384
508
661
485
238
310
196
109
84
55
107
161
248
291
453
765
1041
1436
1314
Wind (km/h)
10
SE
5
ENE
10
ENE
10
ESE
10
ENE
20
NNE
20
NNE
20
NNE
35
NNE
35
NNE
15
NW
20
NW
25
NW
15
WNW
15
NW
15
NW
25
WNW
20
WSW
15
SSW
10
NW
Wind State
on
glassy
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
off
off
off
off
off
off
cross-off
cross-on
off
High Tide
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
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
rain showers
light rain
light rain
rain showers
part cloud
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
light rain
part cloud
part cloud
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:07
7:05
7:03
7:03
7:01
7:00
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:45
5:46
5:47
5:49
5:50
5:51
5:51
 mm
1
1
1
1
2
1
Temp °C
11
12
13
14
13
16
17
14
14
14
14
15
15
10
12
13
12
13
13
10
Feels °C
9
11
11
12
11
11
13
11
7
10
11
10
10
7
8
9
7
7
8
7
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  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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