Surf Forecasts:
Bells Beach - Bowl surf forecast from 29 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 31 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 15s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 3 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s period, SW swell with 4,595 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 29 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 14s 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 Saturday (Aug 29) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Bells Beach - Bowl in the next 16 days are 3.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 03) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 4s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 05) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Mon 31st Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bells Beach - Bowl over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
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.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Sun morning, min 7°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Tue night. Warm (max 20°C on Tue afternoon, min 11°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNW on Tue morning, light winds from the WNW by Thu afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 14 | SW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
466 | 521 | 465 | 669 | 2147 | 895 | 869 | 672 | 1255 | 871 | 503 | 387 | 438 | 631 | 949 | 1402 | 4595 | 1407 | 1399 | 1187 | 795 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | off |
High Tide | 12:53PM1.70m | 00:50AM1.55m | 1:23PM1.76m | 1:34AM1.69m | 1:52PM1.81m | 2:14AM1.81m | 2:20PM1.83m | 2:52AM1.90m | 2:48PM1.85m | 3:31AM1.96m | 3:17PM1.85m | 4:11AM1.96m | 3:49PM1.84m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:03PM0.71m | 7:00AM0.47m | 7:34PM0.55m | 7:40AM0.45m | 8:04PM0.40m | 8:17AM0.45m | 8:34PM0.26m | 8:53AM0.47m | 9:06PM0.15m | 9:29AM0.52m | 9:40PM0.08m | 10:05AM0.60m | 10:18PM0.05m | ||||||||
6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | |
— | 5:57 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:59 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:02 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 |
Temp °C | 12 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 18 | 20 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 13 | 18 | 17 | 15 |
Feels °C | 10 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 |
466 | 521 | 465 | 669 | 845 | 895 | 869 | 672 | 1255 | 871 | 503 | 387 | 438 | 631 | 949 | 1402 | 1387 | 1407 | 1399 | 1187 | 795 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 9 | SW 22 | SW 20 | SSW 20 | — | SW 20 | SW 18 | SW 16 | — | S 15 | SW 17 | SW 4 | S 16 | S 16 | S 15 | — | — | — | — | NE 5 |
— | 2 | 18 | 60 | 39 | — | 138 | 470 | 844 | — | 19 | 148 | 10 | 5 | 45 | 41 | — | — | — | — | 25 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 23 | — | S 15 | S 14 | — | S 14 | S 14 | — | — | — | WSW 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | 11 | — | 68 | 65 | — | 16 | 34 | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 5 | — | — | SW 13 | — | — | — | — | N 2 | NNW 4 | NW 3 | — | — | NW 2 | — | SW 14 | — | — | NNW 4 | NW 4 |
— | 47 | — | — | 2147 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 18 | 3 | — | — | 2 | — | 4595 | — | — | 15 | 35 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 230 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 394 | 524 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Torquay | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











