
Surf Forecasts:
Bells Beach - Bowl surf forecast from 21 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 22 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 12s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 24 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 16s period, SW swell with 10,083 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 21 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 14s period with SW 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 Tuesday (Jul 21) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Bells Beach - Bowl in the next 16 days are 4.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 24) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 3s period and expected on Monday (Jul 27) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Tue 21st Jul) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 7PM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 7ft (2.2m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Fri 24th Jul) | 15ft (4.5m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bells Beach - Bowl over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
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.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Tue afternoon, min 6°C on Wed night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun morning, min 9°C on Sat night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | |||||||||||||||
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 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 11 | SW 13 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
317 | 246 | 108 | 144 | 202 | 1092 | 5530 | 3095 | 9699 | 3392 | 2207 | 4378 | 3385 | 2779 | 698 | 418 | 273 | 163 | 85 | 177 | 480 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:26PM1.92m | 5:13AM1.75m | 4:59PM1.82m | 6:00AM1.69m | 5:30PM1.72m | 6:48AM1.62m | 6:02PM1.61m | 7:41AM1.55m | 6:37PM1.52m | 8:44AM1.51m | 7:19PM1.43m | 9:57AM1.51m | 8:17PM1.36m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:20AM0.48m | 10:53PM0.23m | 11:01AM0.63m | 11:32PM0.26m | 11:41AM0.76m | 00:10AM0.32m | 12:23PM0.89m | 00:50AM0.38m | 1:11PM1.00m | 1:35AM0.44m | 2:12PM1.09m | 2:29AM0.49m | 3:35PM1.13m | 3:34AM0.51m | |||||||
7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | |
— | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 14 |
Feels °C | 9 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 11 | SW 13 |
317 | 246 | 108 | 144 | 202 | 890 | 1649 | 1811 | 3504 | 3392 | 2207 | 1886 | 1211 | 1039 | 698 | 418 | 273 | 163 | 85 | 177 | 480 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 11 | E 11 | SW 11 | SW 15 | — | — | — | — | SW 16 | — | S 13 | — | — | — | — | WSW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | — | S 14 |
2 | 2 | 45 | 34 | — | — | — | — | 1180 | — | 123 | — | — | — | — | 26 | 11 | 25 | 35 | — | 37 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | E 11 | — | E 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | — | — |
— | — | 2 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 3 | — | NW 2 | NW 3 | WSW 3 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 15 | — | W 3 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | — | WNW 2 | — | — | NNW 3 | NW 3 | WNW 2 |
5 | — | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1092 | 5530 | 3095 | 9699 | — | 5 | 4378 | 3385 | 2779 | — | 1 | — | — | 5 | 9 | 1 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 555 | 6 | 5 | 519 | 5 | 32 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Torquay | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.










