
Surf Forecasts:
Bells Beach - Bowl surf forecast from 4 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 9 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 19s period, SW swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 9 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 19s period, SW swell with 9,478 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 6 Sep, 10AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 12s 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 Sunday (Sep 06) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 7s. 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 3.5m 19s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 09) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 6s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Sun 6th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 4PM (Wed 9th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 19s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Wed 9th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bells Beach - Bowl over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, Rusty here. We’ve got a solid 16-day window ahead, but it’s a bit of a slow starter. The first real action kicks off on Friday the 4th of September, so there’s a bit of a wait from now. Let’s get into it.
The main event is Bells Beach - Bowl, a reef and point setup that’s known for handling the big stuff. On Friday afternoon the 4th, we’re looking at a solid 7ft swell from the SW, with a very long period of 16 seconds. That’s proper groundswell, and with a light NNW offshore breeze at 9 mph, the conditions are clean and lined up. The combined swell energy is strong at 2299, and water temp is 57° – about average for this time of year. This is the standout of the whole period, and it’s a ripper for experienced surfers.
Saturday morning the 5th brings a drop to 5ft, still SW, but that NW wind is howling at 22 mph – it’s offshore but fresh, making it tricky. Not the best. By Sunday the 6th, the swell is down to 4ft, but the wind is light and cross-offshore, keeping things clean. It’s smaller but still fun.
There’s a lull mid-week, with Monday the 7th and Tuesday the 8th seeing smaller, messy conditions. But Tuesday morning the 8th throws up a surprise: 3ft with a 18-second period, NW offshore at just 3 mph – glassy, clean, and the combined energy is 1014. That’s a sneaky good session.
Wednesday the 9th gets big – 12ft from the SW with a 19-second period. That’s a massive groundswell, and while the wind is cross-onshore, the energy is off the charts at 16752. This is strictly for experts only, and it might be too big even for the Bowl. The swell is predicted to be too big for the break.
Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th see dropping swell, but the wind is cross-onshore and choppy, so not worth paddling out.
Then, on Saturday the 12th – a real highlight. Glassy conditions with ESE wind at 3 mph, and a 6ft SSW swell with a 16-second period. Combined energy is 1367. This is clean, powerful, and perfect for experienced surfers. The wind is light and glassy, so it’s going to be smooth.
Sunday the 13th offers more clean 4ft SW swell with a 16-second period, and light cross-offshore winds. Good, consistent waves.
The second week tails off. From Monday the 14th through to Thursday the 17th, the swell drops below 3ft, with onshore winds and choppy conditions. Not much to get excited about.
But then, Saturday the 19th – the last day of the forecast – gives us a bonus. Glassy conditions with a 6ft SW swell and a 19-second period, combined energy at 3643. That’s a long-period groundswell with clean, glassy surface. It’s promising, but it’s far out, so don’t set your watch by it.
The best of the bunch is Friday the 4th at Bells Beach - Bowl – that 7ft SW groundswell with offshore winds is a no-brainer. Saturday the 12th is a close second with that glassy perfection.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Fri night. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri afternoon, min 11°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WNW on Sat morning, light winds from the SW by Sun afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Very mild (max 13°C on Tue afternoon, min 7°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Mon night, fresh winds from the SW by Wed morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | ||||||||||||||
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 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 20 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
2299 | 1694 | 1203 | 1105 | 928 | 343 | 447 | 357 | 128 | 367 | 306 | 522 | 1073 | 1101 | 1504 | 9478 | 6128 | 4660 | 3272 | 2023 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 4:54AM1.92m | 4:24PM1.81m | 5:42AM1.84m | 5:04PM1.75m | 6:38AM1.73m | 5:53PM1.66m | 7:47AM1.64m | 6:58PM1.56m | 9:09AM1.59m | 8:32PM1.49m | 10:28AM1.62m | 10:16PM1.52m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:18PM0.05m | 10:44AM0.69m | 11:00PM0.07m | 11:26AM0.80m | 11:48PM0.15m | 12:18PM0.90m | 00:47AM0.26m | 1:27PM0.98m | 2:00AM0.37m | 3:00PM0.97m | 3:26AM0.45m | 4:31PM0.86m | ||||||||
— | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | |
6:02 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | |
mm | — | 7 | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 |
Feels °C | 12 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 21 | SSW 9 | SSW 13 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
2299 | 1694 | 1203 | 1105 | 567 | 343 | 447 | 357 | 128 | 67 | 126 | 290 | 1073 | 1101 | 1504 | 6824 | 6128 | 4660 | 3272 | 2023 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | S 7 | S 6 | S 7 | SW 22 | — | SW 20 | SW 18 | SW 12 | SSW 15 | SW 21 | S 19 | S 17 | S 17 | S 17 | S 16 |
— | — | — | — | — | 124 | 52 | 8 | 18 | — | 306 | 522 | 437 | 77 | 658 | 450 | 443 | 284 | 465 | 179 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | SW 14 | — | E 10 | E 8 | S 21 | SW 12 | SW 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | 251 | — | 2 | 1 | 9 | 90 | 202 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NNE 4 | NNW 4 | WNW 4 | SW 11 | — | — | SW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 13 | — | — | — | SW 6 | SSW 8 | SW 19 | — | — | — | — |
— | 11 | 13 | 17 | 928 | — | — | 83 | 51 | 367 | — | — | — | 30 | 392 | 9478 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 9 | 403 | 524 | 358 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 519 | 68 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 519 | 358 | 200 | 200 | 75 | 5 |
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.










