Shelley Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let's talk about what's coming up at Shelley Beach.

Alright, so we're looking at a pretty average start with a lot of waiting around. The first week is mostly a write-off, but there's a couple of blips worth keeping an eye on. The real action, if it holds, looks like it's in the second week.

This weekend, Saturday the 25th, we've got a bit of a tease. A 6ft southerly swell with a solid 11-second period is rolling in, giving us a combined energy of (701). The morning glass-off with a light WNW cross-off wind will be the time to be in the water. It'll be clean. But by afternoon, the wind swings and it gets messy. It's a short window, but it's the best of the near-term.

Sunday the 26th is similar - a 6ft southerly swell (746) and clean conditions in the morning with a light offshore wind. Again, a morning mission. Then Monday the 27th, the swell drops to 4ft (212) but the wind goes glassy in the morning. The waves will be clean but small.

After that, it really goes flat. From Tuesday the 28th all the way through to Friday the 1st of August, the wave energy is weak and the wind is either onshore or cross-shore and messy. You're looking at a solid 5-day gap where there's nothing worth paddling out for. The swell pops a little on Thursday the 30th, but an 8ft southerly swell (1895) with a strong cross-on wind is just a washing machine. Not for paddling, maybe look at it for a kite session if you're into that.

Now, here's where it gets interesting. A nice long period groundswell arrives for Wednesday the 5th of August. A 7ft SSE swell with a 13-second period (1576) and a light offshore wind in the morning, then going glassy in the afternoon. This is for experienced surfers as it's over 7ft, but the conditions are clean and the energy is high. This is a standout.

Thursday the 6th of August follows it up with a 5ft SSE swell (581) and a clean offshore wind in the morning. Still very good conditions.

Then the big one shows up on the Saturday the 8th of August. A 10ft SSE swell (1093) is forecast. The wind is light and cross-off, but the file tells me the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. That's a big swell for Shelley, so it's only going to be for the most experienced crew, and even then it's a question mark.

To wrap it up, the best bet on offer is the Wednesday the 5th of August morning session. The swell is a solid 7ft from the SSE, the period is a juicy 13 seconds, and the wind is light and offshore. It's a week and a half away, so don't book the time off just yet, but it's the one to circle on the calendar. The Sunday the 9th of August morning also looks excellent with a similar sized swell and offshore winds, so that second week is looking promising.

Rusty out.

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