Surf Forecasts:
Bells Beach - Bowl surf forecast from 5 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 10 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 17s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 13 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 18s period, SW swell with 13,678 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 6 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 16s 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 Thursday (Aug 06) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Bells Beach - Bowl in the next 16 days are 4.5m 18s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 13) 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 1.1m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 09) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Thu 6th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 4PM (Mon 10th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Thu 13th Aug) | 15ft (4.5m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bells Beach - Bowl over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, listen up. Rusty here.
It’s been a quiet start, but we’ve got some real gems coming up in the next couple of weeks. We're looking at a classic winter run for the Bowl.
The opening few days are small but clean. Thursday morning is a gentle start with waist-high, 2ft of SW groundswell, a long 16-second period pushing some decent energy (218), and a light offshore NW wind. It’s glassy and clean, but you won’t be getting your head wet much. That holds through Friday, when a nice 4ft SW groundswell rolls in Friday morning under glassy conditions and crystal-clear skies. The energy jumps up nicely (577), and with 16-second periods, those waves will have some serious shape on this reef and point setup. That Friday morning is a real standout for this first week—the calm before the storm.
Saturday and Sunday get messy with a strong NNE wind, so we’ll sit those out. The ocean gets real angry come Monday the 10th of August. Monday morning sees 10ft of SW swell, but the cross-off wind keeps it from being perfect. The energy is insane at 5797 – that’s not for the faint-hearted. WAY too big for beginners. That said, Monday afternoon cleans up nicely with a solid 4ft SW swell from a 17-second period and a moderate offshore breeze. That’s the sweet spot for the experienced crew before it gets proper heavy.
Then it gets proper heavy. Thursday the 13th of August is a monster day. The swell hits 15ft from the SW with a 16-second period. The combined energy is off the charts at 17173. That is big-wave territory only. If you're not an elite charger at the Bowl, stay on the cliff. It's too big for the break, and the winds are only cross-offshore.
Beyond that, the following week settles back into cleaner but smaller territory. Friday the 14th has a solid 6ft and then we see a run of good, manageable surf from Sunday the 16th through the following Wednesday. Nothing huge, but the winds lock in offshore from the NNW or WNW, the sun is out, and the swell stays in that 2ft to 4ft range. The wave energy is moderate (around 200-530), but the consistency is there and the conditions will be faultless. The best morning of that second week? Probably Friday the 14th for the size and clean offshore wind, or Wednesday the 19th of August for that perfect combo of sunshine, clean conditions, and 3ft to 4ft SW swell.
So, the pick of the litter is Friday the 7th for clean, manageable fun, and Thursday the 13th if you’re charging the big stuff. The water temp is sitting at 56°, which is bang on average for this time of year.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 16°C on Sat morning, min 9°C on Thu morning). Winds increasing (calm on Fri morning, fresh winds from the N by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Sun night. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue afternoon, min 8°C on Mon night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 21 | SW 19 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 22 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 203 | 201 | 300 | 546 | 427 | 679 | 492 | 406 | 297 | 192 | 111 | 1065 | 5794 | 1062 | 719 | 472 | 341 | 227 | 1695 | 2490 | 5547 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | cross-off | glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:16PM1.83m | 5:15AM1.81m | 4:48PM1.80m | 6:04AM1.79m | 5:24PM1.75m | 7:02AM1.74m | 6:09PM1.69m | 8:12AM1.69m | 7:06PM1.62m | 9:32AM1.68m | 8:25PM1.55m | 10:50AM1.72m | 9:59PM1.54m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:22AM0.60m | 10:45PM0.19m | 11:02AM0.70m | 11:24PM0.14m | 11:46AM0.81m | 00:11AM0.13m | 12:38PM0.93m | 1:07AM0.16m | 1:45PM1.02m | 2:14AM0.21m | 3:11PM1.05m | 3:33AM0.25m | 4:42PM0.98m | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  | |  |  |  | |  | | | |  | | | |  | | |
 | 7:20 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — |
 | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 4 | 2 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 10 |
Feels °C | 9 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 3 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 21 | SE 9 | SSW 10 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 203 | 201 | 300 | 546 | 427 | 679 | 492 | 406 | 297 | 192 | 111 | 1065 | 3 | 495 | 719 | 472 | 341 | 208 | 1695 | 2490 | 5547 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 7 | S 8 | SW 7 | SSW 7 | SW 19 | SSW 6 | — | S 16 | — | SW 18 | SW 17 | NE 6 | — | SW 17 | SSW 8 | S 8 | SSW 8 | NE 4 | SW 13 | — | — |
| kJ | 10 | 5 | 42 | 26 | 183 | 7 | — | 5 | — | 13 | 107 | 10 | — | 1062 | 160 | 48 | 22 | 13 | 632 | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | E 9 | SW 14 | S 16 | SSW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 24 | NE 4 | — | SE 10 | — | — | S 15 | SW 22 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 5 | 2 | 73 | 5 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | 23 | 9 | — | 4 | — | — | 4 | 227 | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SW 7 | — | — | — | NE 4 | NNE 4 | NNE 4 | NE 5 | NE 5 | N 4 | SW 19 | — | NW 3 | NNW 2 | NNW 4 | NNW 4 | NW 3 | NW 4 | NW 3 |
| kJ | — | — | 84 | — | — | — | 7 | 13 | 7 | 41 | 55 | 9 | 5794 | — | 1 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 99 | 14 | 9 | 200 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 35 | 32 | 519 | 6 |
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.
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