
Surf Forecasts:
The Well surf forecast from 15 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 17 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 16s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 16 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 15s period, SW swell with 6,441 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 16 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 15s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Well this week:
The surf forecast for The Well over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 16) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.5m and 15s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Well in the next 16 days are 4.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 16) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 8s period and expected on Monday (Jul 20) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Thu 16th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Fri 17th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Thu 16th Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Well over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, this is Rusty. Let's get into it. We've got a solid run of surf coming up at The Well, but it's a tale of two halves. The first week looks clean and manageable, but the second week is bringing some serious power and tricky conditions.
The water's sitting around 59°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, but nothing wild.
The best bet for the whole run is shaping up to be Friday the 17th of July. The morning is looking exceptional for expert surfers. We’ve got a solid 12 ft SW groundswell pushing in with a very long 16-second period, generated by a strong energy source (4903). The wind is light and offshore from the NNW, which will clean up those chunky lines perfectly. This is a powerful, heaving reef wave, so it's strictly for the experienced crew. The long period means the sets will be well-spaced, so you can pick your moments.
Thursday the 16th is also a good bet to get the ball rolling. It's a touch smaller, still 12 ft SW and a 15-second period, but the wind is lighter from the WSW, making for clean, if slightly cross-onshore, conditions. The wave energy is pumping (6561) and it's a much more manageable entry point for the first big swell of the run.
We then settle into a nice, consistent pattern. From Friday afternoon through to Sunday, the swell drops steadily from 10 ft down to 5 ft. The wind turns cross-offshore from the NNW and NW, keeping the face clean. The swell period stays in the 12-16 second range, so the quality will still be good. Saturday morning with 8 ft at 14 seconds (2379) and Sunday morning with 5 ft at 12 seconds (1072) are both excellent options for experienced surfers.
The first half of the following week, Monday 20th to Wednesday 22nd, sees the swell dip to a smaller, more manageable 4 ft to 6 ft. The wind remains offshore, but it picks up a bit, particularly on Monday reaching 12 mph. The consistency is still good, and the water will be clean. Wednesday afternoon is a bit of a step down with a short 10-second period, but the morning is still a solid option.
Now, the second half of the week gets interesting, but messy. Thursday 23rd sees a big jump in size again, hitting 12 ft SW with a 16-second period by the afternoon and a massive energy reading (5578). The wind is still cross-off, so it will be clean, but this is a lot of power. Friday the 24th is a write-off. Strong onshore winds from the SW will turn it into a choppy, lumpy mess.
Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th are the biggest days of the entire forecast. We're looking at a huge 16 ft SW groundswell (11426) on Saturday morning and 15 ft on Sunday morning. The wind on Saturday is light, but onshore, so it's a question of where you sit. Sunday morning is back to cross-off, but with a 19 mph wind. This is not for the casual surfer. This is big, powerful, and potentially dangerous. For the average punter, the setup on these days looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
The run finishes with a drop in size. The last really good day for experienced surfers is Wednesday 29th of July. The swell is back to a reasonable 6 ft-6 ft SW with a 12-second period, and light cross-off winds from the NW will keep it clean. A nice way to wrap it up.
So, to sum it up: your standout windows are the morning of Friday 17th for the power and purity, and the morning of Saturday 19th for the quality at a more manageable size. The second week offers huge, raw power, but it's a mixed bag of clean and messy conditions.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Wed afternoon, min 9°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Tue morning, min 10°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wed 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 11 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
4903 | 6094 | 5807 | 6281 | 4292 | 5254 | 4657 | 3430 | 2379 | 1780 | 1120 | 677 | 531 | 540 | 1429 | 1330 | 682 | 581 | 623 | 1906 | 764 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:56PM0.77m | 11:30PM0.45m | 2:10PM0.74m | 00:52AM0.50m | 2:25PM0.72m | 1:53AM0.54m | 2:40PM0.70m | 2:47AM0.56m | 2:54PM0.67m | 3:38AM0.57m | 3:07PM0.65m | 4:30AM0.56m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 5:42AM0.03m | 8:47PM0.42m | 6:35AM0.04m | 8:29PM0.36m | 7:20AM0.08m | 8:40PM0.29m | 8:00AM0.14m | 9:01PM0.21m | 8:36AM0.21m | 9:27PM0.16m | 9:08AM0.29m | 9:54PM0.12m | 9:35AM0.37m | ||||||||
— | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | |
5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | 5:30 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 13 |
Feels °C | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | SW 13 | W 9 | WSW 13 | WSW 11 |
4903 | 6094 | 5807 | 6281 | 4292 | 5254 | 4657 | 3430 | 2379 | 1780 | 1120 | 677 | 531 | 439 | 1429 | 1330 | 682 | 444 | 373 | 1906 | 764 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 12 | SSW 18 | — | — | — | S 10 | — | — | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | S 11 | SW 17 | S 10 | SSW 10 | S 10 | WSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 |
— | 11 | 688 | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 121 | 189 | 259 | 242 | 540 | 50 | 33 | 16 | 581 | 623 | 215 | 380 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | S 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 16 | SW 20 | SW 18 | S 11 | S 14 | — | SSW 10 | E 10 | WSW 16 | — | — |
— | — | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 43 | 136 | 269 | 110 | 4 | — | 18 | 2 | 51 | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 3 | — | — | NNE 3 | — | WNW 8 | W 9 | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | 277 | 561 | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Far West of Victoria | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the The Well Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for The Well provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The Well can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Well 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 (The Well) 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 The Well 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Far West of Victoria? If you are looking for accommodation near The Well, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Far West of Victoria, consider staying in Warrnambool which is 42 km (26 miles) away.











