Bells Beach - Bowl Surf Break

Lat Long: 38.37° S 144.28° E

Bells Beach - Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 3 am 10 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Bells Beach - Bowl sea temperature is
13.5° C
0.5° 

Bells Beach - Bowl surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Bells Beach - Bowl surf forecast from 9 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 12 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 17s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 12 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 17s period, SW swell with 7,266 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 10 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 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 Monday (Aug 10) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 19s period. 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 3.5m 17s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 1AM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)10AM (Mon 10th Aug)4ft (1.2m) 19s
Best Surf10PM (Wed 12th Aug)11ft (3.5m) 17s
Most Powerful10PM (Wed 12th Aug)11ft (3.5m) 17s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bells Beach - Bowl over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s cut to the chase. The next couple of weeks are a real mixed bag. Monday the 10th has some clean, chest-high waves for the experienced surfer, but the wind goes bad in the arvo. Don’t get too excited for the start.

The main event is Wednesday the 12th through Friday the 14th. Wednesday afternoon is the big one, with swell hitting 12ft from the SW and a 16-second period – that’s strong, powerful energy. This is expert-only territory, no question. The wind is cross-offshore, which keeps the face somewhat workable, but it’s a heavy slab. Thursday morning pulls back to a more manageable 7ft, still with that long 16-second swell and light cross-off winds – that’s the standout session for quality. Friday morning keeps it solid with 8ft from the SSW and a 17-second groundswell, and it’s clean. The long period is a gift for a reef and point like Bells Beach – Bowl, giving it that proper, grinding shape. Thursday and Friday mornings are your window.

After that, it’s a long, slow fade. From Saturday the 15th, the size drops and the wind turns against us. The swell stays under 6ft for the rest of the week and quickly gets smaller and more inconsistent. The energy numbers drop into the weak range. There’s a couple of clean, small days around Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th with waves around 3ft, but you’ll be scratching for any kind of ride. This quiet stretch is going to run for a good part of the week. Water temps are around 56°, which is normal for now, so bring the hood.

There’s a faint light at the end of the tunnel – Sunday the 23rd – with a possible late pulse of 6ft and a long 16-second period, but that’s over a week away, so we’ll chalk that up as promising but thin. The strong winds that day might make it better for the kite surfers than us. Bottom line: if you can, get out Thursday or Friday. Otherwise, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Very mild (max 13°C on Mon morning, min 9°C on Mon night). Mainly fresh winds.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu afternoon, min 11°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light.

Monday
10
Tuesday
11
Wednesday
12
Thursday
13
Friday
14
Saturday
15
Sunday
16
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
4
0
2
2
3
2
3
7
8
3
4
4
5
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.2
SW
19
1.2
SW
17
1.1
SW
16
0.9
SW
15
1.1
SW
15
1.2
SW
16
2.3
SW
16
3.5
SW
16
3.5
SW
16
2.2
SW
16
2.1
SW
16
1.9
SW
15
2.5
SSW
17
2.2
SSW
16
1.9
SW
16
1.7
SW
15
1.7
SW
15
1.5
SW
15
1.4
SW
14
1.2
SW
14
1
SW
14
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
1026
861
553
355
489
795
2756
5882
6742
2444
2119
1641
3832
2696
1799
1376
1323
953
742
589
390
Wind (km/h)
15
NNW
30
SW
15
W
20
NW
20
NNW
30
NNW
25
W
20
WNW
20
W
20
WNW
15
W
15
WNW
15
WNW
15
WSW
10
SW
10
SSW
15
S
10
SSE
10
ENE
10
SE
15
ESE
Wind State
off
cross
cross-off
off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-on
on
cross-on
on
cross-on
High Tide
7:06PM1.62m
9:32AM1.68m
8:25PM1.55m
10:50AM1.72m
9:59PM1.54m
11:54AM1.79m
11:28PM1.60m
12:46PM1.87m
00:40AM1.71m
1:30PM1.93m
1:40AM1.81m
2:09PM1.97m
2:32AM1.88m
Low Tide
1:45PM1.02m
2:14AM0.21m
3:11PM1.05m
3:33AM0.25m
4:42PM0.98m
4:51AM0.25m
5:55PM0.82m
6:01AM0.25m
6:53PM0.63m
7:00AM0.25m
7:41PM0.44m
7:51AM0.28m
8:24PM0.29m
mod rain
rain showers
part cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
rain showers
part cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:15
7:13
7:13
7:11
7:09
7:09
7:07
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:40
5:42
5:43
5:44
5:44
5:45
5:45
 mm
6
1
2
Temp °C
13
13
12
12
12
11
13
12
11
12
13
13
13
13
13
12
12
13
12
13
12
Feels °C
10
8
8
7
7
5
7
7
7
8
10
10
10
9
9
9
8
10
9
12
10
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Bells Beach - Bowl:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Bells Beach - Bowl surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


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.

Nearest locationNearest