Bells Beach - Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. We've got a 16-day window shaping up for Bells Beach - Bowl, and it's a bit of a mixed bag with some proper size coming through but you'll need to pick your moments. The water temp is sitting at 57°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing too wild there.

The first bit of surf worth paddling out for is Tuesday morning, the 21st of July. It's small, only 3 ft of SW swell, but the wind is a gentle offshore from the NNW, which means it'll be glassy and clean. The wave energy is moderate at 317, so it's not packing much punch, but it's a nice little session for a quiet paddle. The afternoon holds similar 3 ft SW swell, still clean with a NW offshore.

Wednesday the 22nd sees the swell drop a touch more, with 2 ft SW swell in the morning and a moderate offshore from the WNW. It's surfable, but pretty ordinary. The afternoon gets a little messy with light rain and a cross-offshore breeze, so nothing special.

Now, Thursday the 23rd of July is where things get real. We've got a solid 12 ft SW swell rolling in with a period of 14 seconds, and the combined wave energy is strong at 7179. But the wind is a cross-offshore from the WSW at 25 km/h, keeping it clean. This is big, powerful surf – definitely for advanced surfers only, as it's well over the 8 ft mark. The afternoon drops to 10 ft SW, still big, but the wind picks up to 30 km/h, making it a bit more challenging. Friday the 24th stays chunky with 8 ft SSW swell in the morning, a period of 16 seconds, and 3392 energy. It's still clean with a cross-offshore WNW wind, but again, this is expert territory. The afternoon is 8 ft SSW, still solid.

Saturday the 25th of July brings another big pulse of 12 ft SW swell with a 12-second period, and a cross-offshore W wind. It's a powerful day with 4596 energy, but the shorter period (under 15 seconds) means it might be a bit more walled-up at this point break. Sunday the 26th drops to 4 ft SSW swell by morning, with a moderate cross-offshore breeze, and the energy is down to 444. The afternoon is 4 ft SW, clean, but nothing to write home about.

The next standout is Tuesday the 28th of July. The afternoon brings 7 ft SW swell with a period of 14 seconds and 1761 energy, with a gentle cross-offshore breeze. It's a good size, but still manageable for experienced surfers if you're confident. Wednesday the 29th of July shows a 10 ft SSW swell in the morning, 15-second period, and 4295 energy, but the wind is a gentle cross-shore, so it's a bit lumpy. The afternoon goes onshore and becomes poor.

Thursday the 30th of July has a 10 ft SSW swell in the morning, 13-second period, and 4093 energy, with a clean cross-offshore W wind. That's another big day for the experts. The best of the second week looks to be Saturday the 1st of August. The morning offers 5 ft SSW swell with a 13-second period and 1350 energy, and the wind is a moderate offshore from the NW, keeping it clean. The afternoon is similar with 6 ft SSW swell and a longer 15-second period, 1510 energy, and still offshore. This is a solid, clean day for experienced surfers, with good shape and consistency.

From Sunday the 2nd of August onwards, the outlook turns poor. The wind swings onshore and becomes strong, with lumpy, messy conditions. Swell drops off into the doldrums, with tiny waves through to the 5th of August. The last few days are all poor surf, with cross-onshore winds and swell under 3 ft, so not worth the paddle.

The best on offer is Thursday the 23rd of July with the 12 ft SW swell, but only for the experts. The second standout is Saturday the 1st of August, which is a cleaner, more manageable day for experienced surfers with the offshore wind and solid 5 ft to 6 ft SSW swell. That's your pick if you want a quality session without the gnarly size.

Rusty.

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