Bells Beach - Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a solid run of swell on the way for the Bells Beach – Bowl, but you’re gonna have to be patient through the first few days if you want clean conditions.

The window kicks off Thursday the 10th with serious size – 8ft of SSW swell – but that cross wind from the SSW at 9 mph messes it up. Not your day. Thursday afternoon is worse, and Friday doesn’t improve much, with the same direction keeping things cross-onshore and choppy.

The first true standout is Saturday the 12th. Morning at the Bowl sees 6ft SSW swell, but the key is the light NNE cross-off breeze, just 6 mph. That’ll clean it right up. Combined energy is moderate (1352). Saturday afternoon holds 5ft SW swell with a glassy N wind at 3 mph – also cross-off. That’s the pick of the first week: clean lines, manageable size, and the optimum swell direction (SW) matches perfectly for this reef-and-point set-up. Crowds are possible here, so get there early.

Sunday the 13th drops off fast, down to 4ft, and by Monday the 14th you’re looking at 2ft. A few days of flat-to-small, ordinary stuff.

But hold on – Tuesday the 15th brings a solid pulse: 12ft SW swell, only problem is the cross-swell wind from the SW at 12 mph, which will put a chop on it. Very strong wave energy (6876), but that’s big enough only for experts. Might be more interesting for kite surfing. Wednesday the 16th is messy again.

Now, the second standout. Thursday the 17th morning: 5ft SSW swell with a light NNW offshore at 6 mph. Clean, glassy conditions. Combined energy moderate (1004). That’s your call if you missed Saturday.

Friday the 18th is also a beauty. Morning is 6ft SW swell with a 9 mph NW offshore – glassy and clean. But the afternoon is the real gem: 10ft SSW swell, period 15 seconds, and a gentle NW offshore at 9 mph – clean and powerful. Very strong energy (4485). This is big but workable for experienced surfers.

After that, it fades. Saturday the 19th drops to 6ft, still clean, but the 16 mph wind will be noticeable. By Sunday the 20th, it’s 3ft and ordinary.

Long-range, there’s a quiet pulse around Tuesday the 22nd: 3ft SW swell, but with a 19-second period – very long-period groundswell. That’s promising for this point/reef, and it’s glassy with WNW wind at 0 mph. Wednesday the 23rd morning is also glassy with 4ft and light rain, but by afternoon the SE onshore kills it.

End of the run: Thursday the 24th sees 10ft SSW swell, but short period (8 seconds) – not ideal. It’s clean with light winds, but it’s more for experts only. After that it fades into small, windy mush.

Water temp at Bells is 56°, right about normal for this time of year.

So, bottom line: Saturday the 12th and Thursday the 17th are your best bets for clean, manageable surf. Friday the 18th afternoon if you want size and offshore perfection.

Rusty.

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