
Surf Forecasts:
Bells Beach - Bowl surf forecast from 5 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 10 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 18s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 9 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 18s period, SW swell with 8,679 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 6 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 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 Sunday (Sep 06) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 1.8m and 14s. Another secondary swell of 0.2m and 20s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Bells Beach - Bowl in the next 16 days are 4.0m 18s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 09) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Sun 6th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Thu 10th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Wed 9th Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bells Beach - Bowl over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let's get down to the nitty gritty. We're only looking at Bells Beach – Bowl for this stretch, and the ocean has some serious plans for us. The water temp is about what you'd expect for this time of year, so grab a decent suit.
Kicking off Sunday the 6th, it's a gentle start. The morning's got a 2-3ft SW groundswell with a long 14-second period, and a light west cross-off breeze making it clean. The energy’s moderate at 625, so it's just a lovely cruiser. It builds through the day, though, and by the afternoon it’s pushing 8ft from the SW with that same long period. The power jumps to 2753 and it cleans right up, but that's now solidly in the experienced territory; it’s too big for the beginners. Monday the 7th is a letdown – a weak 3ft in the morning that's clean, then the wind swings onshore and chops it all to pieces by the arvo.
Now Tuesday the 8th morning is a real sleeper. We’ve got 3ft of swell with a long 18-second pulse from the SW, energy hitting 1070. With a light west cross-off, it's clean and lined-up. This is where you find those long, drawing lines down the point. The afternoon gets a bit wind-affected, but it’s still okay.
And then we get to the meat of the week. Wednesday the 9th is when it gets serious. The swell bumps to 8ft in the morning and then absolutely cranks to a heavy 11-12ft with an 18-second period by the afternoon. Energy is thumping at 14143 – that's a proper ocean. But it’s lumpy and cross-shore with fresh wind. This is not for the faint-hearted; it's a battle, not a cruise.
The crown jewel of the whole forecast is Thursday the 10th in the morning. Still that solid 10ft of SSW swell with a long 17-second period, but the wind drops right out to a light WSW cross-off, and it just gets deadly clean. Energy reads 5274. That’s big Bells, churning and hollow. This is the one you plan your day around. After that, the wind stays kind, with Friday the 11th offering a clean 5ft in the morning, and Saturday the 12th looking proper fun all day with 5ft in the morning and 5ft in the arvo, with a slight offshore breeze and glassy conditions in the afternoon. That's a proper classic fun session.
Then we hit a lull. Sunday the 13th is about 3ft and clean, but it’s fading fast. Monday the 14th and Tuesday the 15th are mostly flat, messy and a write-off. Don't bother.
The swell rebuilds again around Wednesday the 16th, but it's wind-affected later in the day. Thursday the 17th is a beauty – a solid 4-5ft with a 15-second period and a proper offshore wind all day. Clean and lined-up, perfect for a crew that can handle a bit of power. The following days get blown-out with strong offshore winds reaching 30-35 km/h, making the surf (4-5ft on the 19th and 20th) a bit of a mess and hard to handle.
Last but not least, look way out to Monday the 21st – there's a big west-swell pulse on the charts, hitting 6-7ft with a very long 22-second period. It's nearly two weeks away, so treat it with caution, but if the winds line up, that could be an epic finish.
So, to boil it all down: keep Thursday the 10th morning clear for the big, expert session. And if you want the glassy, quality fun, make sure you're out there Saturday the 12th.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Mon morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun morning, min 7°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Sat night, light winds from the W by Mon night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu afternoon, min 8°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Tue night, light winds from the WNW by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | ||||||||||||||
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 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 7 | SW 20 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
1536 | 289 | 2267 | 316 | 311 | 183 | 306 | 522 | 1073 | 4717 | 3035 | 8417 | 6548 | 5016 | 3232 | 1832 | 1087 | 1279 | 1928 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 5:42AM1.84m | 5:04PM1.75m | 6:38AM1.73m | 5:53PM1.66m | 7:47AM1.64m | 6:58PM1.56m | 9:09AM1.59m | 8:32PM1.49m | 10:28AM1.62m | 10:16PM1.52m | 11:30AM1.68m | 11:38PM1.64m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:00PM0.07m | 11:26AM0.80m | 11:48PM0.15m | 12:18PM0.90m | 00:47AM0.26m | 1:27PM0.98m | 2:00AM0.37m | 3:00PM0.97m | 3:26AM0.45m | 4:31PM0.86m | 4:50AM0.47m | 5:39PM0.68m | |||||||
— | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | |
— | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:08 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 9 |
Feels °C | 7 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | S 7 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | S 6 | SSW 13 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 21 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 |
1536 | 108 | 447 | 316 | 311 | 57 | 81 | 346 | 1073 | 1317 | 646 | 5726 | 6548 | 5016 | 3232 | 1832 | 1087 | 1279 | 1928 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 12 | S 6 | S 14 | SW 22 | SW 21 | SW 9 | SW 18 | — | S 26 | S 16 | — | S 17 | S 16 | S 16 | — | — | — | S 15 |
— | 228 | 35 | 4 | 18 | 68 | 97 | 522 | — | 13 | 43 | — | 145 | 258 | 249 | — | — | — | 115 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 14 | S 14 | W 24 | SW 22 | S 21 | SW 20 | SW 13 | — | — | S 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | 289 | 4 | 11 | 18 | 8 | 306 | 202 | — | — | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 11 | — | SW 14 | — | SW 7 | SSW 7 | — | — | — | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
1518 | — | 2267 | — | 171 | 183 | — | — | — | 4717 | 3035 | 8417 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 358 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 519 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 519 | 630 | 1142 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Torquay | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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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.










