Shelley Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s get into it. Shelley Beach is the only spot on the cards for this 16-day window, and it’s a consistent little wave. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing weird going on.

The action kicks off on Sunday the 2nd of August with a solid morning session. The swell is coming in at 5ft from the SSE with a nice 11-second period, and the combined energy is a solid 719 (moderate). Wind is a light cross-off from the north at 3 mph, so expect clean, well-shaped lines. This is the standout – the best you’ll see all week. The afternoon turns ugly though, with a strong NE wind at 16 mph chopping everything up.

Monday the 3rd is still worthwhile. The swell drops to 3ft from the SE, but the wind stays favourable with a light cross-off in the morning and a clean offshore from the NW in the afternoon. Energy is down to 238 (weak), but it’s still surfable. The rest of the week is patchy. Tuesday the 4th is tiny and weak, barely 1ft – a day to stay home.

Wednesday the 5th and Thursday the 6th offer some knee-to-waist high waves, but the swell direction swings around and the quality is poor. Thursday afternoon sees onshore wind, so no good.

Friday the 7th morning has a bigger 6ft swell from the south, but the period is only 9 seconds and the wind is light cross-shore, so it’s a bit lumpy. That’s borderline for intermediates – too big for beginners. The afternoon goes downhill with a cross-onshore wind.

Saturday the 8th is a write-off with onshore wind and messy, choppy surf. Sunday the 9th morning is glassy, but the swell is only 4ft with a short 8-second period – very ordinary.

Then there’s a real gap. From Monday the 10th through to Wednesday the 12th, the wind is offshore or cross-off, and the swell is 4ft to 4ft from the ESE, with a solid 10-11 second period. The energy picks up to 427 (moderate) on Tuesday morning. This is the second-best window of the outlook. Clean, gentle waves, but nothing huge. The spot is exposed, so it picks up what’s on offer. Crowds are possible at Shelley Beach, so don’t be surprised if you’ve got company.

Then things get heavy. Thursday the 13th through Saturday the 15th sees a huge pulse of swell – 7ft to 13ft – but with strong onshore and cross-onshore winds. The energy hits 5497 (very strong) on Friday the 14th morning. This is for experts only, and even then, the wind is just ruining it. Honestly, it looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Sunday the 16th and Monday the 17th settle back to 4ft-4ft, but the wind is cross-onshore or light cross-shore, so only marginal at best.

The standout is undeniably Sunday the 2nd of August morning – clean, decent swell, good energy. The second pick is the Tuesday the 11th to Wednesday the 12th offshore window, with clean but smaller waves.

Rusty.

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