Shelley Beach Surf Break

Lat Long: 33.36° S 151.51° E

Issued: 9 pm 04 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Shelley Beach sea temperature is
19.3° C

Slightly warmer than usual

Shelley Beach surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Shelley Beach surf forecast from 4 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 8 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 11s period, SE swell with cross-onshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 5 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period, SSE swell with 3,293 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 8 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 11s period with SE 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 Wednesday (Jul 08) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 11s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-onshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Shelley Beach in the next 16 days are 3.0m 13s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 05) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 12) at 4AM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 1AM (Wed 8th Jul)10ft (3.0m) 11s
Best Surf 1AM (Wed 8th Jul)10ft (3.0m) 11s
Most Powerful 7PM (Sun 5th Jul)10ft (3.0m) 13s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Shelley Beach over the next 16 days.


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

G'day, Rusty here. Let's talk about the next couple of weeks.

Look, we gotta wade through some crap to get to the good stuff. It starts off pretty ugly.

The Early Grind

Sunday and Monday, the 5th and 6th of July, are a write-off. There's a big 8 to 10-foot southerly swell, but the wind is howling onshore, making it a lumpy, blown-out mess. The wave energy is high (2350 to 2820), but don't bother paddling out. Tuesday the 7th is the same story – 8 to 11-foot southerly swell with cross-onshore wind, and the energy jumps to 4888. It's a beast, but for kites, not surfers.

Wednesday the 8th is still no good. The swell drops to about 8 feet from the SE, but it's cross-shore and choppy. Leave it.

The Bright Spot

Our first real window comes on Thursday the 9th of July. The morning session at Shelley Beach is looking solid. We've got a clean 6 to 7-foot swell from the SE, and a light cross-offshore westerly wind is on it. The combined wave energy is moderate (837), but that wind makes it glassy and lined up. It'll be clean and a decent size for intermediates. The water temp is about normal for this time of year. The swell has a 10-second period, so it's got some real push. Crowds can happen here, so get in early.

The Late Week Drop-Off

From Thursday afternoon through to Sunday the 12th, it all fades out. Swell drops to 4 to 5 feet. Saturday morning the 11th has a little 4-foot SE swell with a light offshore, but it's pretty ordinary.

Second Week Outlook

The next week is quiet. Monday the 13th and Tuesday the 14th are tiny, with 2 to 3-foot waves. The energy is weak (56 to 220). Tuesday morning is clean with a light offshore, but it's small.

Then we hit a flat spell. Wednesday the 15th and Thursday the 16th are basically flat, with 1 to 4-foot waves and no power at all. A few days of nothing.

The Promising End

The absolute standout for the whole period, if you've got the patience, is Friday the 17th of July. The afternoon session at Shelley Beach is looking like a dream. We've got a solid 5 to 6-foot groundswell from the south, a 13-second period, and it's *glassy* – dead calm. The combined energy climbs to 928. That's a proper, clean, powerful wave. It's a good size for most, and with that long period, it'll be sucking up and offering long lines. Saturday the 18th morning still looks fun with a 4-foot south swell and a moderate offshore wind.

So, a rough start but a stellar finish. Thursday the 9th morning is your first real chance, but Friday the 17th afternoon is the one to circle on the calendar. Hold out for it.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 18mm), heaviest on Sat night. Very mild (max 16°C on Mon morning, min 13°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSW on Sat night, fresh winds from the SSE by Sun afternoon).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Tue night. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue night, min 11°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light.

Sunday
5
Monday
6
Tuesday
7
Wednesday
8
Thursday
9
Friday
10
Sat
11
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Rating
(10 max)
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
!
2
0
3
3
1
3
1
1
2
2
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.9
S
9
3
S
11
2.5
S
12
3
SSE
11
2.5
SSE
10
2.5
SSE
10
2.5
SSE
10
3
SSE
10
3.5
SSE
11
3
SE
11
2.4
SE
10
2.5
SSE
11
2.1
SSE
10
2.1
SE
10
1.9
SE
10
1.7
SE
9
1.6
SE
9
1.6
SE
9
1.5
SE
10
1.2
SE
9
1.1
SE
9
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
119
2339
1989
1975
1299
1299
1293
1544
2677
1848
1243
1421
873
825
687
492
446
456
399
230
194
Wind (km/h)
10
WSW
30
SSW
35
SSE
30
SSE
25
SSE
25
SSE
25
SSW
25
SSW
25
S
15
S
25
SW
25
SSW
20
WSW
15
WSW
10
S
10
WSW
10
SW
10
S
10
W
10
NW
15
NNW
Wind State
cross-off
cross-on
cross-on
on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-off
cross
cross-on
cross-off
off
off
High Tide
10:55PM1.46m
11:55AM1.14m
11:35PM1.38m
12:42PM1.19m
00:21AM1.30m
1:34PM1.25m
1:18AM1.20m
2:29PM1.33m
2:25AM1.12m
3:27PM1.43m
3:41AM1.07m
4:26PM1.53m
4:57AM1.05m
5:23PM1.64m
Low Tide
5:41AM0.19m
5:25PM0.50m
6:18AM0.20m
6:23PM0.52m
6:59AM0.22m
7:29PM0.53m
7:46AM0.24m
8:44PM0.49m
8:39AM0.27m
10:00PM0.41m
9:38AM0.30m
11:11PM0.30m
10:38AM0.30m
rain showers
light rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
light rain
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:58
6:58
6:58
6:56
6:56
6:56
6:56
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
4:58
4:59
4:59
5:00
5:00
5:00
5:00
 mm
1
1
2
4
2
2
3
2
1
3
3
2
3
2
2
2
Temp °C
15
14
15
15
16
16
16
16
16
16
14
15
15
14
15
15
15
15
14
18
18
Feels °C
13
8
8
9
11
11
11
11
11
11
10
10
12
12
13
14
13
13
13
14
14
Swell 1
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.9
S
9
0.3
E
8
1.5
SSE
14
0.2
E
13
0.1
E
14
0.2
E
13
0.2
E
13
0.8
SE
14
3
SE
11
3
SE
11
2.4
SE
10
1
ESE
13
2.1
SSE
10
2.1
SE
10
1.9
SE
10
1.7
SE
9
1.6
SE
9
1.6
SE
9
1.5
SE
10
1.2
SE
9
1.1
SE
9
Energy kJ
119
11
826
13
4
14
14
218
2211
1848
1243
326
873
825
687
492
446
456
399
230
194
Swell 2
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.6
S
12
0.2
E
8
0.1
NE
8
0.1
E
14
1
ESE
14
0.9
ESE
11
0.1
S
18
0.1
S
21
0.1
S
20
0.1
S
19
0.1
S
21
0.1
S
15
Energy kJ
98
5
2
4
431
190
6
9
8
7
8
4
Swell 3
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.2
ENE
7
0.1
S
19
0.1
S
18
0.1
S
17
0.1
S
16
Energy kJ
5
7
6
6
5
Wind waves
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
3
S
11
2.5
S
12
3
SSE
11
2.5
SSE
10
2.5
SSE
10
2.5
SSE
10
3
SSE
10
3.5
SSE
11
2.5
SSE
11
0.4
SSW
3
0.9
SSW
4
0.3
WNW
2
0.2
NNW
2
Energy kJ
2339
1989
1975
1299
1299
1293
1544
2677
1421
4
25
1
1
Nearest Offshore or Glassy
Rating
(10 max)
2
4
4
5
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
1
1
Distance (km)
0
125
260
296
238
166
11
41
41
11
11
11
11
0
11
0
0
11
0
0
0
Best forecast wave conditions in Newcastle
Rating
(10 max)
2
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia
Rating
(10 max)
4
5
4
7
4
4
8
7
4
5
7
5
5
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
5
Header Global
Rating
(10 max)
4
5
9
7
5
5
8
7
5
5
9
7
9
5
7
5
5
4
8
4
5
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Shelley Beach:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Shelley Beach surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


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.

Nearest locationNearest