Bells Beach - Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's get into it. Lookin' at the charts, it's a bit of a mixed bag for the next couple of weeks at Bells Beach. We've got some juicy groundswells on the horizon, especially that monster lurking a week out, but there's a fair bit of wind and size to navigate. Let's break it down.

The first real whisper of a decent wave comes in on Tuesday the 7th. It's a small one, only about 4ft of pure, long-period SW groundswell (17 seconds) and it's glassy. That window of Tuesday morning is the pick of the early days – the Bowl will have some clean, lined-up walls. Water temp is sitting at 58°F, which is pretty spot on for this time of year, nothing unusual there.

Wednesday the 8th sees the swell fill in a bit more, up to 4ft in the morning and 5ft by the afternoon, with that period still hanging in the 18-second range. The energy is ramping up into moderate territory, but the wind goes cross-onshore, so it's gonna get a bit lumpy. Thursday and Friday the 9th and 10th are back to small, clean conditions with light offshore winds. Nice little waves in the 3ft to 3ft range, but nothing to write home about – just a fun time if you're jonesin'.

This is where it gets interesting. The whole weekend from the 11th onwards gets blown out by strong Northerlies up to 28 mph, so forget about it. The swell drops right off. It's a write-off. But then... hold on to your boardies. Monday the 13th is the big one. The data is showing a monster SW groundswell hitting 18ft with a 15-second period. The combined energy goes ballistic – that is very strong. But here's the big caveat: for a reef and point break like Bells, that's not just big, that's in the "experts only" territory. Over 8ft is for experts, and 18ft is a whole different beast. The wind is cross-off but strong at 19 mph. This is a day for the experienced crew only, and even then, it might be too much for the Bowl itself – looks more interesting for towing or watching from the cliff.

Tuesday the 14th drops back to a much more manageable 7ft from the SW, still with a 16-second period and clean cross-off winds. The energy is still strong, but it's a proper, powerful swell. That's a good day for a strong intermediate with a bigger board.

Wednesday the 15th is a letdown, back to a small 4ft. But then Thursday the 16th is a little hidden gem. Clean, glassy offshore winds in the morning with a 5ft SSW groundswell at 14 seconds. The energy is moderate-strong. That's excellent, clean surf for experienced surfers. That Thursday morning session will be pure gold.

After that, it's a slow fade. Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th have small, choppy surf with building winds. The following week starts with a tease on Monday the 20th – moderate offshore winds and a clean 4ft SW swell. Nice little session.

But look, the real standout, the one you gotta circle on your calendar, is the early morning of Tuesday July 16th. The combination of that 5ft SSW groundswell, a solid 14-second period, glassy wind, and the fact it's Bells – that's the session to chase. The big Monday the 13th is the spectacle, but Thursday the 16th offers the best chance for a proper, clean, high-performance paddle session.

Rusty.

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