Bells Beach - Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty. Alright, let’s get straight into it. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty interesting around here, with a few proper standouts if you’re patient. There's a bit of a slow start, but once that big groundswell kicks in, it’s going to be worth the wait.

The first real window of clean surf opens up on Monday the 3rd. The Bowl will be seeing a 3.6ft SW groundswell with a long 15-second period. The morning has a moderate offshore breeze, making for some nice, clean lines. The energy is moderate at 817, but it’s a solid start. Tuesday the 4th gets a bit messier with a cross-offshore breeze and some rain, so it’s not the pick.

Wednesday the 5th is looking better. The morning has a 5.2ft SW swell at 9 seconds, and the wind stays clean. The afternoon sees the swell period jump up to 14 seconds and the energy jumps to 1098, but the rain showers and cross-off wind keep it from being a standout. Thursday the 6th drops right off to a tiny 2ft, so it’s not a day to get excited about.

Now, Friday the 7th is where things start to get properly interesting. It’s a 3.3ft SW swell with a 16-second period, and it’s glassy with a gentle offshore wind early. It’s going to be clean and lined up. The energy is moderate at 504, but the conditions should be beautiful.

The weekend sees a bit of a lull. Saturday the 8th is small and a bit lumpy, and Sunday the 9th drops to 2.6ft with a fresh breeze in the afternoon, so it’s not great. But hold on to your hats, because Monday the 10th of August is a real standout. We’re looking at a solid push of 5.2ft SW groundswell, with a 17-second period. The energy is strong at 1404, and it’s blowing offshore all day. This is advanced-level territory, with clean, powerful waves.

Tuesday the 11th holds in nicely at 4.3ft with good energy, and the Wednesday the 12th is another one to circle on the calendar. The morning sees 5.6ft SSW groundswell at 16 seconds, and then the afternoon kicks it up a notch to a proper 9.8ft SW swell. The energy is huge, jumping to 4984. This is big, powerful surf for experts only. The wind is offshore, so it should be epic.

Thursday the 13th is a different story. The swell is still massive, at 11.5ft, but the wind swings to a cross-shore and it gets messy. It’s big and challenging, but not clean. We’ll see a drop back to 4.6ft on Friday the 14th with light winds, so that should be a welcome reset and a good day for clean waves.

The next standout is a long way out, on Saturday the 15th of August. The Bowl is looking at a 7.5ft SW groundswell with a super-long 20-second period, and the energy is strong at 4003. It’s blowing offshore, so this has the makings of a proper classic. This one is for advanced surfers only, as it’s well overhead. Sunday the 16th is huge, with 11.5ft of swell, but the wind is onshore, so it’s going to be big and blown out.

The final call is for Monday the 17th of August. The morning looks fantastic with a 4.6ft SW swell, 15-second period and clean offshore wind. Then the afternoon sees another pulse of 9.8ft, but the wind goes cross-shore, so it’ll be messy again. The run finishes with a small, clean 3.6ft on Tuesday the 18th.

If you’re picking your moments, Monday the 10th and Wednesday the 12th are the big ones. But that Saturday the 15th with the 20-second period is the one I’d be keeping an eye on. It’s a long way out, so it’s promising but not set in stone.

Catch you in the water.

Read more