Surf Forecasts:
Shelley Beach surf forecast from 17 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 20 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 10s period, E swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 11s period, E swell with 917 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 20 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 10s period with E swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Shelley Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Shelley Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 20) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Shelley Beach in the next 16 days are 2.0m 11s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 2s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Shelley Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Looks like we’re in for a bit of a dry spell to start, so don’t bother paddling out just yet. The first surf worth getting wet for doesn’t show up until Monday the 20th of July at Shelley Beach. Before that, we’ve got a run of poor surf from Friday the 17th through Sunday the 19th – small, onshore muck with no love in it. From Monday the 20th, things start to turn.
Shelley Beach – The week kicks off proper on Monday the 20th with a solid little window. Monday morning is the standout: clean and glassy, offshore breeze out of the north-west, and a 1.5m east swell rolling in with a 10-second period. The water’s sitting at 18°, dead average for this time of year, so no surprises there. The combined swell energy is moderate (600), and that east swell is bang on for this spot. It’ll be clean, punchy, and good for intermediates and above – beginners might find the 1.5m a touch challenging. Crowds can be a thing here sometimes, so get in early.
Tuesday the 21st keeps the love going, especially in the morning. Another glassy session with 1.2m east-north-east swell at 10 seconds. The energy drops a notch (358), but still fun and clean. By the afternoons the wind swings cross-shore, and the quality fades a little.
Wednesday the 22nd and Thursday the 23rd are smaller – 0.9m down to 0.6m – with only morning clean windows and ordinary conditions otherwise.
The real standout comes on Wednesday the 29th of July – nearly a week and a half away, so worth keeping an eye on but not locked in. Wednesday morning: offshore north-west wind at 20 km/h, 2.4m south swell, period 9 seconds. That’s a decent slab of energy (1748 combined), but at 2.4m it’s for experienced surfers only. Still, moderate offshore wind and clean – this is the one to circle on the calendar if you’ve got the skills.
Thursday the 30th and Friday the 31st stay in the mix with offshore or cross-off winds and solid swell, but the conditions get a bit more marginal. Friday the 31st sees a big 2.5m south swell and north winds at 30 km/h – plenty of energy (2408), but it’s pushing into expert-only territory and the cross-off wind won’t deliver perfection.
After that, early August fades back into small, ordinary surf – don’t hold your breath for the first week of August.
If you’ve only got one session to chase, make it Monday the 20th morning for clean, glassy fun. For the big-wave crew, Wednesday the 29th morning is the one to watch.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Very mild (max 17°C on Fri night, min 15°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed morning, min 12°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | ESE 7 | E 8 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 6 | S 7 | SSE 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 51 | 64 | 66 | 98 | 147 | 324 | 840 | 716 | 573 | 450 | 394 | 363 | 294 | 294 | 205 | 156 | 121 | 94 | 65 | 295 | 257 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | glassy | cross | off | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:32AM1.23m | 10:29PM1.67m | 11:20AM1.25m | 11:15PM1.51m | 12:09PM1.27m | 00:01AM1.34m | 12:59PM1.28m | 00:51AM1.17m | 1:51PM1.29m | 1:47AM1.03m | 2:45PM1.31m | 2:54AM0.93m | 3:41PM1.32m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:07PM0.28m | 5:10AM0.04m | 5:01PM0.35m | 5:51AM0.13m | 5:59PM0.42m | 6:30AM0.22m | 7:01PM0.48m | 7:10AM0.31m | 8:11PM0.52m | 7:53AM0.39m | 9:27PM0.53m | 8:42AM0.45m | 10:38PM0.50m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — |
 | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — |
mm | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
Feels °C | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | S 10 | ENE 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SSE 8 |
| kJ | 51 | 64 | 66 | 98 | 45 | 180 | 840 | 716 | 573 | 450 | 394 | 363 | 294 | 294 | 205 | 156 | 121 | 94 | 65 | 65 | 257 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 6 | S 6 | S 9 | S 10 | SSE 20 | S 9 | SSE 17 | SSE 16 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | — | ENE 9 |
| kJ | 37 | 25 | 41 | 46 | 40 | 24 | 101 | 85 | 119 | 141 | 134 | 84 | 56 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 17 | 18 | 2 | — | 46 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | S 8 | S 21 | SSE 21 | S 18 | SSE 19 | S 8 | S 8 | SE 16 | SE 16 | SE 15 | SE 14 | SE 14 | SE 13 | SE 13 | S 12 | — | — | — | — | S 14 |
| kJ | 20 | 21 | 9 | 43 | 6 | 69 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | S 5 | S 4 | ESE 7 | E 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 2 | S 6 | S 7 | — |
| kJ | — | — | 13 | 9 | 147 | 324 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 52 | 295 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 11 | 11 | 113 | 125 | 41 | 41 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 81 | 0 | 0 | 125 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Newcastle | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Shelley Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Shelley Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Shelley Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Shelley Beach 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 (Shelley Beach) 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 Shelley Beach 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 Newcastle? If you are looking for accommodation near Shelley Beach, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Newcastle, consider staying in Central Coast which is 20 km (12 miles) away. Other places in and around Newcastle where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Catherine Hill Bay which is 24 km (15 miles) away, Dee Why, Newcastle and Hornsby.
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