Bells Beach - Bowl Surf Break

Lat Long: 38.37° S 144.28° E

Bells Beach - Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 9 am 10 Sep 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 10 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 15 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 12s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Tuesday 15 Sep, 10AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s period, SW swell with 4,023 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 11 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 15s period with SSW 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 Friday (Sep 11) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m 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 3.5m 13s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 15) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 13) at 7PM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 1AM (Fri 11th Sep)6ft (1.8m) 15s
Best Surf 4AM (Tue 15th Sep)10ft (3.0m) 12s
Most Powerful10AM (Tue 15th Sep)11ft (3.5m) 13s

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 run of swell on the way for the Bells Beach – Bowl, but you’re gonna have to be patient through the first few days if you want clean conditions.

The window kicks off Thursday the 10th with serious size – 8ft of SSW swell – but that cross wind from the SSW at 9 mph messes it up. Not your day. Thursday afternoon is worse, and Friday doesn’t improve much, with the same direction keeping things cross-onshore and choppy.

The first true standout is Saturday the 12th. Morning at the Bowl sees 6ft SSW swell, but the key is the light NNE cross-off breeze, just 6 mph. That’ll clean it right up. Combined energy is moderate (1352). Saturday afternoon holds 5ft SW swell with a glassy N wind at 3 mph – also cross-off. That’s the pick of the first week: clean lines, manageable size, and the optimum swell direction (SW) matches perfectly for this reef-and-point set-up. Crowds are possible here, so get there early.

Sunday the 13th drops off fast, down to 4ft, and by Monday the 14th you’re looking at 2ft. A few days of flat-to-small, ordinary stuff.

But hold on – Tuesday the 15th brings a solid pulse: 12ft SW swell, only problem is the cross-swell wind from the SW at 12 mph, which will put a chop on it. Very strong wave energy (6876), but that’s big enough only for experts. Might be more interesting for kite surfing. Wednesday the 16th is messy again.

Now, the second standout. Thursday the 17th morning: 5ft SSW swell with a light NNW offshore at 6 mph. Clean, glassy conditions. Combined energy moderate (1004). That’s your call if you missed Saturday.

Friday the 18th is also a beauty. Morning is 6ft SW swell with a 9 mph NW offshore – glassy and clean. But the afternoon is the real gem: 10ft SSW swell, period 15 seconds, and a gentle NW offshore at 9 mph – clean and powerful. Very strong energy (4485). This is big but workable for experienced surfers.

After that, it fades. Saturday the 19th drops to 6ft, still clean, but the 16 mph wind will be noticeable. By Sunday the 20th, it’s 3ft and ordinary.

Long-range, there’s a quiet pulse around Tuesday the 22nd: 3ft SW swell, but with a 19-second period – very long-period groundswell. That’s promising for this point/reef, and it’s glassy with WNW wind at 0 mph. Wednesday the 23rd morning is also glassy with 4ft and light rain, but by afternoon the SE onshore kills it.

End of the run: Thursday the 24th sees 10ft SSW swell, but short period (8 seconds) – not ideal. It’s clean with light winds, but it’s more for experts only. After that it fades into small, windy mush.

Water temp at Bells is 56°, right about normal for this time of year.

So, bottom line: Saturday the 12th and Thursday the 17th are your best bets for clean, manageable surf. Friday the 18th afternoon if you want size and offshore perfection.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sat afternoon, min 9°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sun morning, min 9°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Thursday
10
Friday
11
Saturday
12
Sunday
13
Monday
14
Tuesday
15
Wednesday
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)
3
1
4
3
3
4
4
4
3
2
1
2
0
0
3
5
0
3
3
2
4
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
2.5
SSW
16
2.2
SSW
16
1.8
SSW
15
1.7
SSW
15
2
SSW
16
2
SSW
16
1.7
SSW
15
1.4
SW
15
1.2
SW
15
1.1
SW
15
0.9
SW
16
0.8
SW
15
0.6
SW
14
0.6
SW
13
2
SW
10
3.5
SW
13
2.1
SW
15
1.8
SW
14
2
SSW
16
2
SSW
16
1.8
SW
15
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
3272
2389
1447
1314
1856
2058
1288
955
675
509
349
255
147
109
820
4023
1810
1340
2058
1982
1453
Wind (km/h)
15
SSW
20
SSW
10
WSW
10
S
10
SE
5
N
10
NNE
5
N
10
N
20
N
25
N
10
WNW
20
WNW
15
W
15
WSW
20
SW
25
SSW
10
SW
10
S
10
S
5
NW
Wind State
cross
cross-on
cross-off
cross-on
on
glassy
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
glassy
High Tide
10:28AM1.62m
10:16PM1.52m
11:30AM1.68m
11:38PM1.64m
12:19PM1.75m
00:41AM1.78m
1:01PM1.80m
1:32AM1.89m
1:38PM1.84m
2:15AM1.97m
2:13PM1.85m
2:55AM1.99m
2:45PM1.84m
3:31AM1.96m
Low Tide
4:31PM0.86m
4:50AM0.47m
5:39PM0.68m
5:58AM0.45m
6:31PM0.49m
6:52AM0.44m
7:14PM0.33m
7:38AM0.43m
7:53PM0.21m
8:19AM0.45m
8:29PM0.14m
8:56AM0.49m
9:03PM0.13m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:31
6:31
6:28
6:28
6:26
6:24
6:22
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:07
6:08
6:08
6:09
6:10
6:12
6:13
 mm
Temp °C
12
12
10
13
13
11
18
21
16
23
21
18
15
17
13
13
12
11
12
12
9
Feels °C
8
7
7
10
10
9
16
19
14
19
17
16
10
13
9
7
6
8
9
9
7
  • 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