Bells Beach - Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let's look at what's on the table for Bells Beach – the Bowl.

This is a classic reef and point setup, exposed to the SW, and over the next 16 days it's offering up some proper groundswell windows. The water’s sitting at about 56.3°F, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so you’re not getting any weird temperature tricks.

Saturday 22 August kicks off with solid energy. The morning brings a 8.2ft SW swell, but that 15.5 mph WSW cross-off is gonna put a bit of a bump on it. The energy reading is a strong 4119, but the conditions are just marginal. Saturday afternoon is the first real standout: the swell jumps to a meaty 13.1ft from the SW, period 14 seconds, and the energy is massive at 8482. The wind is straight cross from the SW at 12.4 mph, so it’ll have a bit of a chop on it, but for an experienced surfer, that’s a serious session on offer.

Sunday 23 August is the other big moment. The morning shows a clean 4.9ft SW swell with a 6.2 mph NW offshore wind and a period of 14 seconds. That's clean, lined-up water (energy 1218). Sunday afternoon is a dream: 5.2ft SW swell with a 16-second period – that's a long-period groundswell – and only a 3.1 mph WNW cross-off breeze. The energy is 1735 and it’s described as excellent for experienced surfers. For the Bowl, that long period will really wrap in and give you those deep, hollow bowls. Because it's a reef and point, that long period is a blessing, not a curse. Get on it.

Monday 24 August sees the swell drop away. A 3.6ft SW swell on Monday morning with a NNW cross-off is clean but weak (478 energy), and it’s barely worth paddling out for. The rest of the week into Thursday 27 August is a write-off for quality. Tiny swells, poor winds, and onshore junk. Not worth your time. There’s a hole in the good surf here from Monday 24th through Thursday 27th.

Friday 28 August brings the swell back to life. The morning session is a standout: 4.6ft SW swell, 17-second period – very long period groundswell – with a 12.4 mph WNW offshore wind. That’s 1174 energy and it’s clean. This will be another proper session for the experienced crew.

Saturday 29 August through Monday 31 August offers a run of solid but not perfect conditions. The swell hangs around 4.6ft to 5.6ft from the SW/SSW, with decent cross-off winds. Nothing is quite perfect, but there’s enough swell to get wet. The 31st Monday morning brings a 5.2ft SW with a 12.4 mph WNW offshore, 14-second period, and 1480 energy – that’s clean and punchy.

Tuesday 1 September is a rare gem. The afternoon session goes glassy. Literally: a 3.1 mph SSW glass-off, 4.9ft SW, 15-second period, energy 1006. Described as excellent for experienced surfers. That’s the kind of session you dream about – no wind, solid groundswell, perfect lines.

The middle of the first week of September (2nd and 3rd) is still surfable, with 4.9ft to 5.2ft SSW swells and clean offshores, but the wind picks up on Thursday 3rd to 18.6 mph, so it gets marginal.

Now, looking further out, Saturday 6 September is a monster. The morning shows a 19.7ft SW swell with a 16-second period and an insane 24613 energy reading. That is a huge, dangerous swell. The wind is a 9.3 mph N cross-off, so it’s clean, but this is only for absolute experts and is actually predicted to be too big for this break. The afternoon drops to a still-massive 9.8ft SW with a 17-second period and 4300 energy, with a light NNW cross-off. If you are a pro-level charger and you know the Bowl, that afternoon might just be the best on offer for the whole outlook, but that morning will be washing over the carpark.

Overall, the true standouts are Sunday 23rd afternoon for that perfect long-period, glass-off feel, and Tuesday 1st September afternoon for the glassy, clean perfection. The big Saturday 6 September is for the brave. For the average surfer, stick to the Sunday 23rd.

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