The Well Surf Break

Lat Long: 38.61° S 142.87° E

The Well Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 3 pm 12 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's The Well sea temperature is
14.1° C
0.5° 

The Well surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


The Well surf forecast from 12 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Sunday 16 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 13 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 16s period, SW swell with 12,237 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 16 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s 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 Sunday (Aug 16) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 14s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at The Well in the next 16 days are 5.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 13) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 7AM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)10AM (Sun 16th Aug)10ft (3.0m) 14s
Best Surf10AM (Sun 16th Aug)10ft (3.0m) 14s
Most Powerful 7AM (Thu 13th Aug)16ft (5.0m) 16s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Well over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks.

We’re looking at a classic run at The Well. There’s a big gap to start with – no surf worth paddling out for until well into the end of the first week. The early part of the window is dominated by a big, powerful, but messy swell. The conditions are blown out with cross-onshore winds, so don’t bother checking it until things start to clean up. The real action kicks off later.

The first proper chance comes on Sunday the 16th. The swell drops to about 10ft from the SW, with a long period of 14 seconds. The wind is light and cross-offshore, and the report says clean. This is a solid, powerful groundswell but it’s still big enough to be for experienced surfers only. The combined energy is still very strong (3208). It’s a decent start.

Monday the 17th offers a similar story – clean, light cross-offshore winds, and a slightly smaller 8ft to 8ft swell from the SW with a period of 16 seconds. The combined energy is still strong (2749). The waves will have good shape, but the long period means it’ll be a bit straight at this reef break, so pick your line.

The standout window, and the one I’m getting excited about, is Tuesday the 18th. The wind swings to a clean offshore from the NNE, and the swell is a manageable 6ft to 6ft from the SW. The period is a very long 16 seconds, and the conditions are reported as excellent for experienced surfers, with a clean surface. The energy is moderate but quality is high (1687). This is the best of the first week.

After that, the swell drops off a cliff for a few days, with clean but small waves from Wednesday the 19th through to Friday the 21st. The energy drops to weak (around 470–632). That section is strictly for the longboard or a rest day.

The second week starts to look promising again. Saturday the 22nd has a building 8ft swell from the WSW, but it gets hammered by a strong onshore gale in the afternoon. Sunday the 23rd and Monday the 24th are just big and messy again – 15ft to 16ft of WSW swell with strong cross-onshore winds. That’s a kiteboarding session, not a paddle session.

The true big swell for the experts comes at the end of the window. On Tuesday the 25th, the swell is a massive 16ft to 18ft from the WSW. The winds are light and onshore, but the conditions are questionable. Hold on to your hat.

The absolute best of the run is Wednesday the 26th. The swell is still a solid 15ft to 16ft from the SW, but the wind turns divine. In the morning, it’s a gentle offshore from the NNE, and by the afternoon, it goes dead flat calm – glassy. For a reef break, this is as good as it gets. The period is 14 seconds, so it’s a proper groundswell with loads of energy (9865 to 7823). This is for experts only, no question. The water is about average for the time of year, sitting around 57°F.

The tail end of the run on the 27th sees the swell easing back to a more manageable 7ft to 8ft with light, clean winds, finishing the run on a good note.

So, to sum it up: the best on offer is Tuesday the 18th for a solid, clean, and slightly smaller session, and Wednesday the 26th for the big, glassy, epic expert day. The Well is a reef, so it’s advanced-only, and it does get crowded sometimes, so don’t sleep in on those clean days.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 13°C on Wed night, min 12°C on Wed afternoon). Mainly fresh winds.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue morning, min 11°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light.

Wed
12
Thursday
13
Friday
14
Saturday
15
Sunday
16
Monday
17
Tuesday
18
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
7
7
6
6
6
5
5
4
5
2
4
4
4
5
4
4
3
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
4.5
WSW
17
5
SW
16
5
SW
16
5
SW
15
5
SW
16
4.5
SW
16
4
SW
15
4
SW
15
3.5
SW
15
3.5
SW
15
3
SW
14
3
SW
14
2.5
SW
14
2.3
SW
14
2.4
SW
16
2.5
SW
16
2.5
SW
15
1.8
SW
14
1.9
SW
16
1.5
SW
15
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
10220
11713
12081
10788
11674
9092
8163
7681
5894
5158
3761
3208
2855
2066
2624
3252
2880
1267
1651
966
Wind (km/h)
30
WSW
25
W
25
W
25
W
20
W
20
WSW
15
WSW
15
SW
10
SSW
10
SSE
10
SE
10
ESE
20
SE
10
E
10
ENE
15
ESE
10
NE
20
NNE
15
NNE
20
NE
Wind State
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
off
off
off
High Tide
1:26PM0.73m
11:33PM0.42m
1:31PM0.71m
00:36AM0.51m
1:39PM0.70m
1:23AM0.58m
1:50PM0.68m
2:04AM0.63m
2:02PM0.67m
2:43AM0.65m
2:14PM0.66m
3:19AM0.65m
Low Tide
5:12AM0.12m
8:24PM0.38m
6:08AM0.11m
7:49PM0.33m
6:51AM0.12m
7:49PM0.25m
7:27AM0.15m
8:03PM0.17m
8:00AM0.19m
8:22PM0.11m
8:28AM0.25m
8:45PM0.07m
rain showers
rain showers
cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:18
7:16
7:15
7:13
7:13
7:11
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:47
5:49
5:50
5:51
5:51
5:52
5:52
 mm
1
1
Temp °C
12
13
13
13
12
12
12
12
12
12
13
14
15
14
13
15
14
16
17
14
Feels °C
6
8
8
8
8
8
8
9
9
9
10
11
11
11
11
12
11
12
13
10
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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