Surf Forecasts:
Bells Beach - Bowl surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 22 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 16s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 23 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 15s period, SW swell with 1,254 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 19s 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 20) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 19s. 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 1.7m 15s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 1AM. 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 Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 1ft (0.3m) 19s |
| Best Surf | 1PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bells Beach - Bowl over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s comin’ for Bells Beach – Bowl.
Right off the bat, we’ve got a real slow start. The first few days are flat out ordinary – Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th are offering next to nothing, with tiny dribbles of swell and nothing to get excited about. It’s not until Friday the 21st that we start to see a bit of life, but even then it’s only marginal.
The real standout lands on Saturday the 22nd. That afternoon, the Bowl is pumpin’ with 5ft of solid SW groundswell, a 16-second period, and the combined energy is strong at 1197. The wind is light and cross-off, so it’s gonna be clean as a whistle. This is the best on offer – proper conditions for experienced surfers, so don’t take the beginners along. The crowd might be around, but for that quality, you’ll cop it.
Sunday the 23rd is another cracker. Morning shows clear skies, a gentle offshore from the NW, and 5ft of SW swell with a 16-second period. The energy is very strong at 1462 for the afternoon. That’s a full day of excellent waves, though the long period means it’ll push through nicely at this reef-and-point setup. Just be aware, the long gaps between sets make paddlin’ out easier.
Monday the 24th drops off a bit – still fun, but nothin’ to write home about. Then from Tuesday the 25th through to Thursday the 27th, it’s a write-off with onshore winds and poor conditions. The swell tries to come back on Friday the 28th morning with 5ft of SW groundswell at 17 seconds and a strong energy of 1173, but the wind shifts to a cross-on in the arvo and ruins it. Saturday the 29th sees a massive 10ft SW swell with energy of 5720, but it’s a mess with strong cross-onshore winds – that’s for experts only, if anyone’s game, and honestly it looks more like a kite day.
The last week shows a few glimmers. Monday 31st August morning has a clean 3ft of SW swell with a long 18-second period, and Tuesday 1st September morning has 4ft of SW swell, also clean. The water temp is around 56°F, which is about normal for this time of year – nothin’ unusual there.
So, for the pick of the 16 days, it’s Saturday 22nd afternoon and Sunday 23rd at Bells Beach – Bowl. The rest is a mixed bag of small stuff, onshore slop, or swell that’s too big for the wind. Keep an eye on the long-range outlook for the first week of September, but it’s a bit of a wait.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Wed afternoon, min 8°C on Thu night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Mon afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun afternoon, min 9°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | |||||||||||||||
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 15 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 109 | 85 | 54 | 78 | 163 | 163 | 224 | 194 | 834 | 1179 | 1179 | 1254 | 799 | 1001 | 287 | 476 | 327 | 265 | 277 | 215 | 162 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-on | on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 3:51PM1.88m | 4:41AM1.83m | 4:21PM1.80m | 5:20AM1.75m | 4:50PM1.71m | 6:00AM1.66m | 5:19PM1.62m | 6:47AM1.56m | 5:50PM1.52m | 7:46AM1.48m | 6:27PM1.43m | 9:06AM1.44m | 7:25PM1.34m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:16PM0.17m | 10:31AM0.63m | 10:50PM0.22m | 11:06AM0.74m | 11:24PM0.30m | 11:40AM0.86m | 00:01AM0.39m | 12:19PM0.97m | 00:44AM0.47m | 1:11PM1.07m | 1:38AM0.55m | 2:36PM1.14m | 2:51AM0.60m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  | | | | | | |  | | | |  |  | | |  | |
 | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — |
 | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — |
mm | 6 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 |
Feels °C | 7 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 14 |
| kJ | 109 | 85 | 54 | 77 | 163 | 163 | 224 | 167 | 834 | 1179 | 1179 | 1254 | 799 | 1001 | 282 | 476 | 327 | 265 | 277 | 215 | 162 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | ESE 7 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 7 | SW 6 | SW 7 | SW 18 | — | SW 24 | SW 22 | SW 20 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 18 | SW 16 | WSW 13 | SSW 12 |
| kJ | 1 | 5 | 54 | 78 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 194 | — | 22 | 18 | 134 | 316 | 443 | 287 | 18 | 15 | 50 | 42 | 108 | 93 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SE 7 | E 9 | E 8 | SW 7 | SW 20 | SW 6 | — | S 18 | — | SW 19 | — | S 15 | — | SW 21 | — | — | — | SW 16 | WSW 11 |
| kJ | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 60 | 14 | — | 6 | — | 184 | — | 18 | — | 18 | — | — | — | 89 | 51 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 4 | NNE 5 | NNW 3 | NW 3 | NW 2 | NW 3 | WNW 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 2 | N 3 | NNW 4 | SW 4 | — | — | SSW 4 |
| kJ | 40 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 6 | 13 | 6 | — | — | 4 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 169 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 76 | 76 | 112 |
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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