Early Forecast: 2025 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach
April 18th - 28th
We're heading into the pointy end of the El Salvador Pro, with a long drawn out event again utilising the entire waiting period - keeping in mind a CT contest can run in four full days.
The reason for the lag is the forecast which started with a pumping pre-comp swell, a flurry early in the waiting period, before the swell dipped away, sometimes only allowing two heats a day to be run, with the organisers hoping, praying, for a swell to finish the comp in.
Yet we're here to read about the Rip Curl Pro so why the glance backwards..?
The reason is the Bells forecast is shaping up something similar.
This week, social media accounts were ablaze with clean corduroy lines following a series of swells across the Surf Coast, with the new week providing slightly more subdued surf but under continuing excellent conditions.
So it’s been a pretty good start to autumn, but just as the Rip Curl Pro approaches the forecast begins to dip away.
Pumping Bells this week (Scanlon)
As we move through next week, Southern Ocean storm activity will initally be restricted to the polar shelf before a better aligned frontal progression pushes up and under Western Australia. This is due to make landfall in Victoria on Day One of the waiting period - which is also Easter Friday.
Therefore, much like Punta Roca, the opening day at Bells will see fun-sized 3ft to possibly 4ft sets. It'll be a mid-period swell, angled west-southwest, with a morning offshore giving way to weak afternoon sea breezes after lunch.
We know how organisers like both a quick start and public holiday crowds so expect to hear AC/DC's 'Hell's Bells' playing on the PA that morning.
Same again Saturday morning as a morning low tide and easing 2-3 feet waves play out on the Bowl. We're currently looking at a light morning offshore again giving way to a sea breeze as the tide comes in and the waves move into Rincon.
It's from Sunday that things take a turn for the worse, with a strong high pressure system due to move slowly in from the west, bringing a run of southerly tending south-easterly winds and smaller surf, making Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday likely lay days.
Unlike El Salvador, organisers likely (read: hopefully) won't drip feed heats through the contest as the outlook through the back end of next week is much more promising. Currently, there's the potential for a strong, Southern Ocean frontal progression pushing up towards Victoria, bringing some better swell potential into the second half of the waiting period.
We can only hope the Rip Curl Pro, like the El Salvador Pro, is rescued late in the waiting period.
We’ll provide running updates in the comments below followed by an updated forecast next week.
Comments
The old wos blocking high /
Ebb in full effect.
Hopefully lots of last minutes gifts in full effect this Easter.
Bells is not Bells unless it's 6-8foot plus.
Don't even allow them to surf in anything less.
I thought the Bells comp was on this month, not May?
It is. Been fixed.
Cheers.
Just send some 6ft+ for the round of 32 Craig. Get those overlapping heats cranking, its all we ask
Love overlapping heats. Get it all done on the good days.
fullmoon soundtrackz
About as volatile as a synoptic chart could get at the moment
Anything above 4ft bells works on the Wright tide, any smaller winki
Imagine if there was a world tour that actually followed swells instead of set venues at set times. How many epic swells can this circus just miss by a miserable day or two....meanwhile Snapper and Kirra are about to go nuclear again...while Bells dribbles on. Looking forward to watching surfers bobbing up and down again for hours on end.
Snapper is a shit as it can get mate. It will not be good.
Technically i meant Kirra with that size swell but just couldn't be fucked writing it, but yeah, Kirra! haha.
Perhaps. I’m not seeing it, swell direction probably not classic for Kirra.
Yeah right. Just had another look at the low. See what you mean. Gonna intensify and hit further south again. OK....ok....can they move Bells to Deadmans then!!? ;-P
Yeah in the modern day something has to change. Just not sure how. It’s become the norm over the past few years . We look forward to a contest and then have social media showing us what the window just missed out on. Maybe it was always that way.. don’t know. Do know that the whole show has lost serious momentum and feels like some meandering soulless machine with negative karmic juju filling in.
Tell me about it. This format doesn't make sense
Bells trials today??? Conditions looking ok??
Looks like they are at Winki. It's shit regardless.
Cheers.
WSL - 'Woulda Surfed Lastweek'
At least they'll have heaps of clean days to run the comp. Possibly 7 days of off shore winds. Hopefully size is small so they move the comp and never come back!.
Still moving about a lot and EC doesn't like that run of offshores. We'll see.
Don’t think they move from the carpark anymore. Would be nice though.
You're telling me. The one time we all get some extra time off and they cut our break off for rate paying citizens. How about do it after Easter or not at all.
There is such a tour southernraw...the slab tour. Relateable, enjoyable, low budget, enthralling
Hear! Hear!! mate.
Eye spy with my little freeride.
Absolutely pumping that year.
I scored 8-10ft Bells right after the Final with Parko/Fanning on a building swell.
Pumping for the whole contest and there was only a handful of us each morning at Centerside which was very good. Thurs before good Friday was the pick of it - that's the day Robbo got his triple barrel at Winki and was robbed of the heat win. I surfed Center's through the Parko/Fanning final which by the end was overloaded, then drifted down to Bells at end of final.
There was a run of very good years around then. Finals day 2009 was also epic. I decided on a quick morning surf near Lorne with a plan of high tailing it back to city for work meetings. Never made those meetings and don't regret it for a minute.
Bastards!! I watched the final from a dark apartment block in Zoetemeer Holland fresh of breaking up with my Dutchy girlfriend!!
Looked and sounded epic!!
that was such a great event - i was there too, with board in car, but it was beyond my skill level to go out afterwards- i’m interested in your take on it- lots of people bag bells as being a ‘burger’ - but when i have surfed it (small) and watched it when it’s big, it is a magnificent canvas and super fast thru the outside - how did you go?? - did you like it??
Very fun wave (just don’t tell anyone). Only people that call it a burger live interstate and are jealous they don’t have anything like it.
Sure it ain’t top to bottom kegs but it has plenty of push.
Breaks faster further up the reef. Slows down in the bowl.
a burger wave is like a voluptuous lady that is generous as hell,
pumping away like a rabbit riding backhand on a waif gets boring
(hope you get some joy this comp @3vickers, you got it owing I reckon)
Mate I loved it.
I got so slaughtered in the Shorey down near the Winki button- like almost thinking I was not going to make the beach.
Agreed mate.
Bells is a big wave reef.
It's just such a perfectly shaped platform that it still breaks in small swells.
But it's a big wave reef and a damn good one at that.
Is Medina back for this one?
No. The heat draw is up and he's not in it.
Well the outlook hasn't improved. Winds look more north to north-east than ideal and swells will lack consistency and size.
Looks like another drawn out event with hope for the final couple of days. Before that nothing special. We're looking at a slow 3ft to occasional 4ft wave Friday with less than ideal winds, better Saturday as the swell eases from the 3ft range.
The next decent swell is due next Wednesday but very inconsistent and might be 3ft+ with a bit of north in the wind.
That last weekend has flip flopped so much from good to bad, hoping it comes through though as rest of forecast looks like winki pro (on tv fine - on site a horrendous experience imo)
aaaarrrggggh.
I can't even remember the last time there was a stacked forecast for a comp.
If only they were still mobile and used the coast to the South. Probably be firing.
They could move the Margaret River pro down to Denmark or thereabouts with that logic
You on the lemons again Mikey?
You do remember they used to move the Bells comp south, often dont you? East too. That was logical when it was flat.
And indeed they should move the Margs comp south to expose what shitty closeout beachies are down 4 hours south.
Keep up the fine work soldier.
Hate to say it but the banks at Burleigh are not looking good for a WSL comp - fun to surf for the average punter but not looking comp worthy atm. Hope it improves.
This solid SE swell should push some sand into the holes you'd hope. Will be interesting to see the sand situation Sunday
Think we've had one decent Bells comp in 5 years, even then that year the final was in slow 2ft with a sneaky Rincon wave winning it. WSL just can't get any luck with their timing.
Yeah, agree DX3. The Surf Coast generally has been below average the last 5 years with the three La Ninas etc. I mean it can still have its great days like a few over the last couple of weeks and last September. Will it go back to "normal", or is this the new normal due to climate change? Only time will tell I suppose. I along with most people would love to see a few pumping days for the Bells comp.
past bells beach higlights in order
#1 photos with occy and sunny at mordy surf
#2 silverchair concert
#3 offshore festivel
#4 surfing pumping surfcoast while main on
#5 robbo getting robbed
#6 kelly vs fanning
#7 looking for car keys @torquay pub after 3 days in a row on the gas. never to be seen again.
This isn't working out, it's getting worse, the wsl skunking. Huey's sending a swell to qld but the pros are all in Victoria playing golf.
Get mobile
fly in to Tullamarine, don't even leave. give one of the pool locals a wildcard...
Looks like we're still on for tomorrow morning with clean 3ft to occasionally 4ft waves with a dropping tide and good surf until an onshore change arrives around midday. They might also run Saturday morning with the easing swell but winds are less favourable.
You really nailed the forecast craig,
It pretty much exactly what happened today.
Congrats you win a prize !
Lol
Fairly decent at Winki today by the looks of it.
Anyone catch a glimpse of what leapt out of the water twice during Steph, MF, and Mason's session? The boats and jetski's did a lot of investigating. Didn't look like a dolphin to me
@southernraw commented on it..
he suggested it looked potentially sus, too.
I might go back and have a look..
I was out at Centres earlier than that and saw some suss water movement. Didnt see a fin though. Spooked me a bit but convinced myself it must have been a rogue boil.
Yup! Whatever it was it appeared to have a white belly. Mako.?....or the other larger versioned white bellied jumpy toothed fish?? Wouldn't be a Fanning heat without one making a cameo would it!?
nah, can't have been either, all the sharks are in the adelaide gulf..
Looked like mako to me and not a huge one.
I've time stamped the leaping sea creature on this video link, watch the background: https://www.youtube.com/live/kM-qYNi7ikw?si=zZ7AKLF6k2aYhYZo&t=18900
pretty sure it was Sassy the Sasquatch....it defienitly looked exactly like him
whayoutalkinabout? hehe
hahaha VG SR (: