Bells Beach - Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here.

Alright, let’s cut to it. The next couple of weeks are a real mixed bag for the Bowl. We’ve got a proper dry spell on the surf front for the first few days, so don’t bother paddling out Sunday through Tuesday – it’s gutless and the wind’s all wrong. You’ll be fighting for scraps. We’re looking at waves down around 2ft to 4ft, with weak to moderate energy (657 down to 108) and a cross-onshore breeze messing things up. It’s not your day.

The first real glimmer of hope comes Thursday the 20th. The swell’s still small, but the wind cleans right up to a moderate offshore, and the energy ticks up a bit (206). Friday the 21st is where it starts to get interesting. We’ve got a proper pulse of groundswell coming in from the WSW at 3ft, but the period jumps to a solid 19 seconds. That’s a long-period swell, so the wave shape will be good but the sets will be a bit spread out. Still, the offshore wind is moderate and clean, and the energy is pumping at 1137. It’s clean, it’s hollow, and it’s got some push. This is the one to get excited about before the weekend.

Now, Saturday the 22nd sees the swell jump up to 6ft, but the wind swings around to a cross-shore and the energy is strong (1493). It’s going to be a bit lumpy and not as clean as Friday. But Sunday the 23rd is a real standout. We’ve got 6ft of SW swell, a moderate offshore wind, and the energy is at its peak for the window (1520). The Bowl (Bells-Beach-Bowl) will be handling this nicely – the reef and point setup will focus that long-period energy. This is your best, cleanest, biggest day of the first week. Get amongst it.

After that, it drops off again. Monday the 24th has a bit of energy with 4ft and light winds, but it’s a bit messy. From Tuesday the 25th through Wednesday the 26th, it gets blown out and becomes a real kite-surfing show with strong winds and lumpy conditions. The swell jumps to 10ft on Wednesday afternoon, but the cross-shore wind ruins it for paddle surfing.

The following week has a more relaxed vibe. There are pockets of fun surf with lighter winds and smaller swells. Saturday the 29th looks like the pick of the second week – 4ft of SW swell, clean with light offshore winds, and solid energy (925). It’ll be worth a look. The weekend after that, the 30th and 31st, have similar waves around 3ft to 4ft with clean conditions and light winds. Not huge, but fun and consistent – a good way to finish the run.

So, mark your calendar for Sunday the 23rd. That’s the big one. Friday the 21st is the one for the purists if you want the longest period. Everything else is just filler.

Rusty.

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