Shell Island Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Gulf Coast, Florida, USA)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
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Weather State
Spot Information

Shell Island Surf Guide

Shell Island in Alabama is an exposed beach/Jetty break that has consistent surf. The best conditions for surfing are during the hurricane season. The best wind direction is from the northeast. Windswells are much more typical than groudswells and the optimum wave angle is from the southeast. The beach break provides left and right handers. A fairly popluar wave that can sometimes get crowded Hazards include rips, sharks and jellyfish.

Shell Island Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach/jetty	2	consistent	22.8°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Shell Island:

The best conditions reported for surf at Shell Island occur when a Southeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northeast.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Shell Island (for consistent clean waves)?

octoberBest Season: autumn

The best time of year for surfing Shell Island with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Autumn and most often the month of October. Clean surfable waves are typically found 19% of the time in October while 13% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 68% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

19%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

13%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

68%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Shell Island Location Map

Interactive Shell Island surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Shell Island is Tyndall Afb (Panama City) Airport (PAM) in USA, 13 km (8 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Shell Island is Eglin Afb (Valparaiso) Airport (VPS) in Usa (florida, 90 km (56 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Shell Island Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Thursday, 7 May 2026, 18:03 Local Time

m, °C	Thursday 07			Fri
ft, °F	4PM	7PM	10PM	1AM
Wave (m)	SW	SW	SW	SSW
Period (s)	5	5	5	6
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- on	cross- on	cross	cross- off

Tides at Shell Island

Current tide and informaton

For Channel entrance, Saint Andrew Bay, Florida, 4 km from Shell Island.

Next High Water: 02:15pm | 0.42m

Next Low Water: 01:03am | -0.03m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Shell Island Sea Temperature

Sunny with very warm air temperatures, feeling like 26.0 °C once we account for any wind. Sea temperatures (22.8 °C) warm too. Staying warm in the water won't be a problem in board-shorts, but wear at least a rash-vest to keep the UV off.

Today, many surfers would wear a rashvest wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 22.8°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite