Bells Beach - Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a good look at what’s coming our way over the next couple of weeks for the Bowl at Bells Beach. We've got a bit of a mixed bag, with some proper standouts if you pick your moments.

The water temp is sitting at 57°F, which is about average for this time of year, nothing to write home about.

The forecast starts on Thursday, 10th September with a solid 7ft SSW groundswell, but it's a write-off for surfing. The wind is cross-on at 12 mph, making things choppy, so I’d give that a miss.

We need to wait until Saturday morning, 12th September, for our first real highlight. Early doors we’ll see a clean 6ft SSW swell with a long 15-second period. The wind is a light, cross-off breeze from the NNE at 6 mph, and that combined energy is a healthy 1427 (moderate). This is the pick of the first week. The incoming tide and offshore wind should line up beautifully for some long lines off the point. It's an advanced wave, so it'll be for the experienced crew, and crowds are possible, so get in early.

That clean trend hangs into Saturday afternoon, with a slightly smaller 5ft SW swell, still with great shape and light cross-off winds. By Sunday the 13th, the swell starts to fade quickly under a building north breeze, so the quality fades with it.

Now, hold on for Tuesday, 15th September. The ocean starts pumping again with a big, raw SSW swell. By morning we’re looking at a serious 12ft SW swell (energy hitting 5970 – strong to very strong). But it’s coming with a strong cross-wind at 12 mph, making for a lumpy, cross-chop mess. The afternoon cleans up a touch, but the wind turns cross-on and the swell drops to 10ft. This is expert-only territory and honestly, looks better for kite surfing than paddle surfing due to the messy conditions.

Swinging into the next week, we finally get another standout session. Thursday morning, 17th September, the Bowl is the place to be. We get a clean 5ft SW groundswell (15-second period, 962 energy) with a glassy offshore wind from the NW at just 3 mph. This is top-shelf, high-performance surfing. The waves will be clean, powerful, and lined up. This is a serious contender for the best conditions of the entire forecast.

Friday, 18th September, also has promise. The morning is clean with a moderate NW offshore (12 mph) and a punchy 5ft SW swell. But the real buzz is the afternoon: the swell jumps to 8ft SW, the wind cranks from the NW at 19 mph and blows straight offshore. That’s a lot of energy for the experts.

Beyond that, the second week looks smaller and more inconsistent, with only small windows of clean surf. The 21st of September morning is glassy with a small 3ft SW swell, and the 23rd sees another clean afternoon with offshore wind. A couple of bigger, messy S swells show up on the 25th, but the wind is side-shore and raw, so conditions will be poor.

So, to keep it simple: Saturday morning, 12th September is your first solid go-to. And the absolute standout, the one to circle on the calendar, is Thursday morning, 17th September. Get on it.

Rusty.

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