From: ludwig@cm.deakin.oz.au (Ludwig Omachen)
Newsgroups: alt.surfing
Subject: Bells Description (long)
Date: 9 Apr 92 05:55:50 GMT
Organization: Dept. of Computing & Mathematics, Deakin University, Australia


In article <ivbdo30@fido.asd.sgi.com> airey@woof.asd.sgi.com (John Airey) writes:
>
>   Can we get a description of what Bells is like?
>Is it miles of sandy-bottom with pop-up breakers? 
>Can you go left and right? 
>Do you go to a different part each time? Or is is a
>rock bottom, and the waves pretty much break the same
>way every day. How do you get out? rip channels? 
>
>    And while we're at it, Bells is at 5 o,clock on the
>continent, right? Where is Margaret River? On the west
>coast right? so like 9 oclock? I looked at a small atlas
>and didn't see any river called Margaret. 
>
>    Give us Seppo's a quarter so we can buy a clue.
>                
>john m. airey      airey@asd.sgi.com  (415) 335-7248
>                   M/S 7U-550 Silicon Graphics, Advanced Systems Division
>                   2011 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mtn. View, CA 94039  


G'day Gang,
             Here is my description of Bell's, as reconstructed from
the grey matter in the recesses of my waterlogged skull :-),
(Long posting, bail out now if you don't like reading :-))
some-one else will have to do Margeret River.
	     

Bell's beach is a relatively short straight bay, with short, rocky
headland's consisting of cliff's (about 50-80 ft high) at either end
of the moderately sloping "Bell's Beach".

The beach itself is about 25 to 50 yds wide, depending on the tide,
and about 500 yds long, with coarse sand. (Feels great between your
toe's :-) )

There are no PINE TREE'S, as per comment's that have been made about
the movie "Point Break", (Have'nt bothered to see it due to the poor
reviews on alt.surfing), but, there are some patches of blackish sand.

It's sort of like a natural ampitheatre, with great view's of the surf
from the clifftop's, and the carpark, which runs the whole length of
the beach, and also run's along the clifftops above Winkie.
The carpark's about 20 ft above the beach at the right hand end, (at
Bell's) and about 50-80ft at the left hand end. (Winkie)

Bell's has basically two break's, "Rincon", which is in front of, and
under the cliffs which constitute the right hand headland (when
looking out to sea), and the main break "The Bowl", which is out in 
the bay, about 3/4 of the way across from the left headland, 
(which mark's the start of the adjacent break to the north, "Winkie")

The Waves at Bell's, Rincon, and Winkie are Right hander's, but
with smaller swell's, you can sometimes go left at the bowl, and
Rincon less frequently.

The Bowl will break at low tide with a swell around head high, but at
high tide it need's around 1.5 overheadhead swell to start breaking.
I have yet too see it big enough to close out, though it will close
out across the bay at the end of your ride on swell's around double
overhead, depending on the tide.
Once the swell get's over 1.5 overhead, the only effect the tide has
is too make the waves hollower on low tide, and fuller on high.
Bell's will handle waves of 3 to 4 times overhead, I have seen it at
that size quite a few times over the year's.
Waves from double to triple overhead are not uncommon over autumn and
winter.

Paddling out is no problem untill the swell get's over double
overhead, when the waves push enough water in to create a strong
current which sweep's down towards winkie.
The middle of the bay is basically a big channel, easy to get out in
waves up to double overhead, no rips to speak of.
Generally, once you're out in the lineup, it's no problem maintaining
your position.
If you get caught inside by a big set, the current can pull you across
to the "button", a knob of rock at the left end of the beach, which is
potentially fatal if you get caught there by a big set.
Best to catch the whitewater in, walk back to the right hand end of
the beach and try again if you the current's taking you anywhere near
it. Only a problem on the Mega-big day's.

Rincon is only good at either extreme of the tide, at high tide, with
a small swell up to around head high, it provides a nice little hot
dog wave under the cliff's, peeling across the gently sloping rock
shelf, sometimes from right out the back, onto the beach.
The cliff base at Rincon is strewn with medium size rock's, and at
high tide, with a small swell you can get a little close if you decide
to finish off your ride with a floater or reo.
It's also a good wave for Mal's under these condition's, ** I make no
comment on the Mal issue, one way or the other :-).

At low tide, with a swell from head to 1.5 overhead, Rincon
provides a reasonable right hander beyond the exposed rock shelf.
Any bigger, and it closes out across to the bowl.
At mid tide, either going in or out, Rincon is pretty useless.

Both Winkie and Rincon waves break over gently sloping rock shelves,
which are mostly seaweed covered.
(The round stuff that look's like grape's)
There are very few protrusions on the shelves close in, so you can
usually "roll along the bottom" in relative safety in waves up to
chest to shoulder high.
The rock shelves are totally exposed on low tide's, and at high tide
are completely covered.
There have been one or two fatalities over the year's at winkie on Big
day's.


Rough Map of Bell's follows:

            \     .
             \    :  
              \   |      .
               \  |      :     "Winkie"
                \        |
                 \       |        .
                   \              :
                     \            |
               Cliff's | 
   North               | ###   <   the "button"
     ^                /     
     |              /
     |           / :
               |   :
	       |   :
	       |   :
	       |   : 
 Car Park      |   :                      .
	       |   :< Bell's Beach.        .
	       |   :                      : 
	       |   :                      |      .
  Step's >   ||||| :                      |      :  "The Bowl"
	       |   :                      |      |
	       \   :                      |      |      .
		\  :        .                    |      : 
		 \ :        :                           |      
		   \        |    . 
		     \      |    :               .
		       \         |     .         :         
			  \      |     :         |      .         
			  |            |         |      :  "Rincon"
			  |            |         |      |      .
	         Cliff's  |            |         |      |      :
			  |            |         |      |      |
			  

Cheer's all, keep surfing
Lud.