Surf Forecasts:
Bells Beach - Bowl surf forecast from 15 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 18 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 15s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 22 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 15s period, SW swell with 7,701 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 15s 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 Tuesday (Aug 18) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 15s period. 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 15s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 22) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 6s period and expected on Monday (Aug 17) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 13ft (4.0m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bells Beach - Bowl over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Grab a coffee and settle in – here’s the full forecast for Bells Beach – Bowl over the next couple of weeks. This is a classic reef-and-point break at Bells.
The big moment hits Saturday morning, August 15. We’ve got a solid 6ft south-west groundswell, a very long 15-second period, and a massive energy reading of 1512. Winds are dead calm – it’s glassy. The water temp is 56°F, which is normal for this time of year. This is strictly for advanced surfers; the Bowl can get mean.
Saturday morning is the absolute best session in the whole outlook. After that it fades – the afternoon brings a light cross-onshore breeze and the swell starts shrinking.
The rest of that weekend and early next week is nothing special. Waves get down to waist-high, and the wind is mostly cross or cross-on. Monday morning August 17 is worth a look, but it’s nothing to write home about.
Mid-week goes flat. From Tuesday August 18 through Thursday August 20, it’s tiny and messy. Thursday morning has clean offshore wind, but we’re talking just over 1ft of swell – a dribbler.
Friday August 21 picks up a bit with clean offshore wind, but still only around 3ft. Surfable, but not a mission.
Now, the second week gets rowdy. Saturday August 22 brings a huge SW swell at 13ft with a 15-second period and an enormous 9309 energy reading. Problem is, strong cross-shore winds make it choppy. Experts only. Sunday August 23 looks much cleaner with good offshore wind and still a solid 7ft of SW swell. That Sunday morning is your best call for the second week – big, lined-up, and not trashed by wind.
Monday August 24 stays big at around 8 to 10ft, but the wind gets messy again. After that, the swell fades quickly. By the following weekend, waves are small but conditions clean up, especially Sunday August 30 with gentle offshore winds and building energy up to 727.
For the experienced surfer, the standout is Saturday morning August 15. The other real promise is Sunday morning August 23. After that, it’s small and clean.
Stay safe out there.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Mon afternoon, min 10°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue morning, min 8°C on Thu night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | |||||||||||||||
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 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1434 | 1368 | 899 | 621 | 545 | 450 | 574 | 661 | 485 | 238 | 310 | 196 | 137 | 82 | 55 | 78 | 161 | 153 | 330 | 300 | 1378 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:30PM1.93m | 1:40AM1.81m | 2:09PM1.97m | 2:32AM1.88m | 2:45PM1.97m | 3:19AM1.91m | 3:19PM1.94m | 4:01AM1.89m | 3:51PM1.88m | 4:41AM1.83m | 4:21PM1.80m | 5:20AM1.75m | 4:50PM1.71m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:41PM0.44m | 7:51AM0.28m | 8:24PM0.29m | 8:36AM0.34m | 9:03PM0.19m | 9:18AM0.42m | 9:40PM0.15m | 9:56AM0.52m | 10:16PM0.17m | 10:31AM0.63m | 10:50PM0.22m | 11:06AM0.74m | 11:24PM0.30m | ||||||||
7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | |
— | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:51 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 5 |
Temp °C | 13 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 10 |
Feels °C | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 3 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 10 |
1434 | 1368 | 899 | 621 | 545 | 450 | 574 | 661 | 485 | 238 | 310 | 196 | 137 | 82 | 54 | 78 | 161 | 153 | 330 | 164 | 615 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 16 | S 16 | S 13 | S 14 | — | ESE 5 | SE 5 | S 17 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 5 | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | ESE 7 | SW 19 | SW 14 | NE 4 | SSW 4 | SW 20 | SW 18 | SW 16 |
78 | 131 | 56 | 36 | — | 3 | 10 | 5 | 55 | 28 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 55 | 46 | 1 | 2 | 60 | 300 | 375 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 14 | SE 5 | S 16 | — | — | E 6 | E 6 | W 7 | E 6 | S 16 | SW 8 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 149 | 7 | 5 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 16 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | E 4 | ESE 5 | ESE 5 | ESE 6 | — | NE 3 | ENE 3 | NE 4 | NNE 4 | NNE 2 | NNE 4 | WSW 3 | — | NW 2 | NW 3 | SW 10 |
— | — | — | — | — | 6 | 23 | 15 | 80 | — | 2 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | 9 | 1378 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 11 | 76 | 19 | 33 | 19 | 9 | 33 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 29 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 6 |
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.











