Shelley Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – the next couple of weeks at Shelley Beach are a real mixed bag. We’ve got a long stretch of pretty ordinary, small surf coming up, and it’s not until the very end of the forecast that we see any real potential. The water temp is sitting at 64°F, which is just about normal for this time of year.

Right now, Wednesday morning, we’ve got a tiny 3ft swell coming from the ESE with a weak period around 7 seconds. The energy is minimal, only a reading of 199, but the wind is glassy, so it’s clean. It’s surfable, but don’t get your hopes up. That little window closes fast.

From Wednesday afternoon all the way through to Tuesday, September 1st, it’s a grim run. For over a week we’re looking at waves under 3ft, with a few days barely hitting 1ft to 2ft. The wind is mostly cross or cross-off, but there’s just no power. The combined swell energy dips into the low two-digit or three-digit figures, and the scores are flat. It’s a real dry spell.

Now, we do get a glimmer of hope on Thursday the 27th of August. The morning looks promising – a clean, 5ft swell from the S with a period of 8 seconds, and a light offshore wind from the WNW. The energy jumps to 380, and it’s rated as good surf. This is the first real standout, but it’s isolated. The afternoon gets messy again.

Then there’s a potential standout on Saturday the 29th of August. The morning brings a 7ft swell from the S with 9-second period, and the energy is a strong 728. The wind is a moderate cross-off, so the waves will be clean. But here’s the catch – by the afternoon, that S swell builds to a massive 10ft with an energy of 1716, and the wind swings cross-shore at 22 mph. This is getting into expert-only territory, and it’s going to be a lumpy mess at a beach break like Shelley. Honestly, that afternoon setup looks more interesting for the kite crew than paddle surfers.

By Tuesday, September 1st, we get one more good morning. A clean 6ft S swell with a 10-second period and light offshore wind. The energy is a solid 572, and it’s rated as very good surf. This is your second real standout after the 27th.

Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd of September trail off into small, glassy but weak 4ft and 2ft swells. Not much to get excited about.

So, if you’re hanging for a wave, pencil in Thursday morning, August 27th and Tuesday morning, September 1st. The rest of the time, you’re better off giving it a miss.

Rusty.

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