Bells Beach - Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve only got one spot lighting up in the 16-day window, and it’s a ripper when it turns on.

Alright, Bells Beach – the Bowl (Bells Beach - Bowl) is a reef and point setup, exposed to the south-west swell. It’s for advanced surfers only, and it’s consistent, which is a big tick. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing weird going on there.

Right now, Monday morning, it’s messy. Cross-on breeze at 16 mph from the south-southwest, only 2 ft of weak, scrappy swell. Wave energy is low (270). Monday afternoon is a bit bigger at 5 ft but still cross-on and choppy. A total write-off.

Then Tuesday morning, September 8th, the whole picture flips. Glassy clean conditions with a light cross-off breeze at 6 mph from the west-southwest. Swell is a clean 3 ft from the southwest, but the period is a massive 18 seconds – that’s proper groundswell, lots of grunt. Wave energy is strong (1107). This is the standout for the whole outlook. The Bowl will be drawing in that long-period SW swell beautifully, offering long, powerful lines. For experienced surfers, this is the moment.

Tuesday afternoon the wind swings a little cross-shore, dropping the quality down to marginal.

Wednesday September 9th brings a big jump in size with an 8 ft to 10 ft south-southwest swell, but the onshore wind (19 mph) makes it lumpy and cross-chop. Wave energy is huge (4527 to 6017), but the quality is not there. Too big and messy for a good paddle session, honestly it looks more interesting for kite surfing.

Thursday September 10th morning cleans up nicely again with a cross-off breeze and an 8 ft SSW swell, but the period drops a touch to 16 seconds. Wave energy is still very strong (3987). This is another solid option for experienced crew, but the wind is a little stronger than Tuesday.

Friday September 11th is more moderate: 5 ft with a light cross-breeze, wave energy around 1057-1117. Just average.

Saturday September 12th morning is the next real highlight. A light north-northeast cross-off breeze at 6 mph, clean conditions, and a 5 ft southwest swell with a 15-second period. Wave energy is strong (1137). It’s a solid, clean offering, but the swell direction is not a perfect match for the Bowl’s optimum SW, so it won’t be as good as Tuesday.

After that, the surf slowly fades and gets unreliable through to the middle of the second week.

There’s a gap from Sunday September 13th through Monday September 14th with very small, weak swell – under 3 ft.

Then we get a short pulse around Tuesday September 15th with a 8 ft SSW swell and clean conditions, but it’s not a standout.

Another gap from Wednesday September 16th to Thursday September 17th is small or marginal.

Friday September 18th morning looks promising again: a 7 ft southwest swell with a fresh offshore wind (22 mph) from the northwest. Wave energy is strong (1374). The swell period is a shorter 12 seconds, so not the classic Bells groundswell, but the offshore wind will tidy it up. This could be a fun, punchy session for experts.

Saturday September 19th morning has an 8 ft SW swell and a fresh offshore breeze, but again, that shorter period. Conditions will be clean, but the swell is right on the edge of too big for most.

The outlook fades out from Sunday September 20th through to Tuesday September 22nd. The very last day, Tuesday September 22nd morning, offers a clean 5 ft SW swell with a long 17-second period and a light breeze. Wave energy is strong (1118). It’s a nice tail-end option.

So, to wrap it up: the absolute best on offer is Tuesday morning, September 8th – small, clean, long-period groundswell, perfect for experienced surfers at the Bowl. The second-best shout is Saturday morning, September 12th, which is also clean with a similar sized swell. Anything bigger than 8 ft with onshore wind is a kite day, not a paddle day. Keep your eyes on the Tuesday morning window.

Rusty

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