Bells Beach - Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what's comin' down the line for Bells Beach. We've got a solid run of swell ahead, so let's get into it.

First up, the water temp here is sittin' around 56°, which is pretty much what you'd expect for this time of year, no crazy anomaly to report.

We're kickin' off this Saturday morning, the 29th of August. It's not gonna blow your socks off, but there's a clean, 4 ft SW groundswell rollin' in with a nice 14-second period. The wind's a light offshore from the WNW, so the Bowl will be lookin' tidy. The combined energy is moderate at 466. A good one to get the arms movin' for the weekend.

Saturday afternoon sees the wind swing south and pick up, puttin' a bit of a chop on things. Not the best part of the day.

Sunday the 30th, morning session is where it starts to get interesting. The swell jumps to 5 ft from the SSW, period at 13 seconds. It's a cross-off breeze and the energy is pumpin' up to a strong 797. You're gonna get some nice, clean lines.

Monday the 31st is a proper standout for the early part of the week. A morning offshore from the WNW, glassy conditions in the afternoon—it doesn't get much better for clean waves. Swell holds at 4-5 ft, but the period stretches out to 15 seconds. The energy is strong, around 1023. With that long period groundswell and the offshore wind, the Bowl will be offering up some beautiful, lined-up waves. This is the one to clear your schedule for.

Tuesday the 1st of September gets blown out by a strong northerly, so give it a miss. The surf settles back down from Wednesday morning, with clean 3-4 ft swell and offshore winds. Nothing huge, just clean fun.

Now, Thursday the 3rd is our next big standout. Morning session delivers a solid 6 ft SW swell with a moderate offshore. By the afternoon, the swell's crackin' 12 ft from the SW. That's a serious step up. It's cross-off, clean but the energy is a massive 5982. This is for advanced crew only—if you have to ask if you're ready, you're not. The Bowl will be pitchin'.

Friday the 4th keeps the quality high with a strong 6 ft offshores in the morning, droppin' to 5 ft by the arvo with a fresh offshore breeze. Still clean, still fun.

Saturday the 5th of September sees another solid pulse of swell. The morning hits 10 ft with a strong cross-off wind. It's a big, powerful swell but the wind is gonna make it a bit tricky, so it's more for the experienced lads and lasses.

We get a break on Sunday the 6th with a smaller, clean 5 ft morning, but the arvo is back to big numbers with a 10 ft wind-affected swell. The following Monday and Tuesday (7th and 8th) are absolute monsters. We're talkin' 10-13 ft SW swells with very strong to extreme energy readings (4131 up to 10150). But, the wind is a strong cross-off. It's going to be lumpy, raw power. Honestly, a 13 ft cross-off at Bells is more of a big-wave tow or kite session than a regular paddle. It's for the hardcore only.

The surf eases off through the 9th of September, droppin' back into the 4-5 ft range. Then we get another fantastic window starting Thursday the 10th. A beautiful 8 ft SW groundswell with a 16-second period, and a gentle to moderate offshore wind all day. The energy is very strong at 4822. The Bowl will be firing, clean and hollow. This is another date to circle—expert territory but incredible.

The weekend of the 12th and 13th looks smaller again, with clean 4-5 ft swells and long periods, but a lot of wind on Sunday.

So in short, the absolute standouts on this run are Monday the 31st of August for that perfect, clean, solid groundswell, and Thursday the 10th of September for another dose of powerful, offshore perfection. For the big dogs, Thursday the 3rd of September afternoon and Thursday the 10th are the ones to chase.

Keep the stick waxy, and remember the Bowl is an advanced wave at its best. Be patient and respect the locals.

Rusty.

Read more