Bells Beach - Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, and I’ve got the lowdown on the next couple of weeks down at the coast.

We’re looking at a solid run of swell on the way, but it’s not all clean windows. The water temp is sitting at 57°F, which is pretty average for this time of year. Our main focus is Bells Beach - Bowl (a reef and point setup). This spot likes a good SW swell, and that’s exactly what we’ve got coming. The first call is Saturday the 12th of September, with a 6ft SSW swell rolling in with a very long 15-second period. The combined energy is strong at 1427, and with a light N wind, it’s clean. This is top-shelf stuff for experienced surfers, but the water temp is normal. Watch out, though – this spot can get crowded sometimes. The swell backs off a touch to 5ft for the Saturday afternoon, still clean with that long period.

Sunday the 13th sees the swell dropping to 4ft, still from the SW with the same long period, but the wind is picking up to a moderate breeze from the N. It’s clean, but the energy is dropping off (509) and it’s more marginal. Monday the 14th is a write-off with weak, undersized energy (166 and 101) and messy conditions.

Now, Tuesday the 15th is a big change. We get a solid 8ft SW swell hitting in the morning, with a 13-second period and combined energy of 3953 – that’s strong. The problem? A 19 mph WSW cross-off wind keeps it clean, but at 8ft, this is expert territory only. The afternoon brings rain and a stronger 22 mph cross-breeze that’ll chop it up. The 16th and 17th are blown out by cross-onshore winds, with big swell but poor quality. Not worth your time.

The real standout arrives on Friday the 18th of September. We get 4ft to 4ft SSW swell, a long 14- to 16-second period, and a clean offshore breeze from the NW. The energy is solid (830 and 1252), and the wind is moderate offshore – this is clean, lined-up surf at Bells. This is your pick for the first week. The morning will have great shape, and the afternoon could be even better.

After that, the weekend of the 19th and 20th drops right off into small, weak surf (under 3ft) with average conditions. Then Monday the 21st shows a small pulse of 4ft SW swell with light wind and clean conditions, but it's short-lived. The 22nd is shot by onshore winds.

The second week has a promising window. Wednesday the 23rd of September brings a 6ft SSW groundswell (16-second period) with light N winds – clean and powerful (1460). Thursday the 24th is glassy in the morning with 5ft SW swell (899), but the afternoon gets a light cross-onshore breeze. Then we have a standout for the end of the month.

Friday the 25th of September is the absolute best day on offer. A 7ft SW swell with an extremely long 19-second period is forecasted, pushing 3322 in combined energy. The wind is a moderate offshore from the NNE, so the wave face will be clean as a whistle. This is a long-period groundswell, so the sets will be powerful and well-spaced. Saturday the 26th is blown out by strong 25-28 mph winds.

But hold on, the real monster is Sunday the 27th of September. A massive 12ft to 13ft SW groundswell is pumping in, with 6782 to 6402 combined energy. The wind is offshore from the WNW, but this is expert-only territory – huge, powerful, and only for the brave. This is the kind of day you tell stories about, but only if you’ve got the skill and the nerve.

So, calling it now: the standout is Friday the 18th of September for clean, fun-shaped waves, and the big one to circle on your calendar is Friday the 25th of September for a true groundswell spectacle. The 27th is for the chargers. There's a gap of small, poor conditions around the 19th to 20th, and the 22nd is no good.

Rusty.

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