Shelley Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, grab your coffee, I’m Rusty, and I’ve got the goods on what’s coming for Shelley Beach. It’s going to be a bit of a rollercoaster, so listen up.

We kick off Tuesday the 7th of July with a big, angry wall of water – we’re talking an 12 ft SSE swell. The combined energy is massive at 4482, so this is a proper pulse of power, but the problem is the wind. It’s a moderate breeze from the SSW, blowing cross-shore, so expect a messy cross-chop. This is a serious, expert-only sized wave and not ideal for paddling. Honestly, for a standard beachbreak setup in these conditions, you might look more towards a kite than a paddleboard today. The water temp is sitting at 66°, which is about normal for this time of year.

Wednesday the 8th drops a bit to an 8 ft SE swell, but the wind is still an issue, coming from the S at 12 mph as a cross-onshore. It’s choppy and lumpy. The wave energy is still pretty solid at 1671, but the quality is just not there. Thursday the 9th sees the swell back off to 6 ft from the SE, with a light breeze from the SW that’s just cross-shore. The energy drops to 781, and it’s still marginal. You could get a few, but it’s nothing to write home about.

Now, Friday the 10th morning looks a bit better. The swell has dropped to 5 ft from the SE, but the wind goes light and cross-offshore from the WSW. That’s clean! The energy is moderate at 426. This is your first decent window. Saturday the 11th is the standout. Morning sees a 4 ft SE swell with a light offshore from the NW, and it’s clean. The energy is still moderate at 402. The afternoon holds similar: 4 ft SE swell, still offshore from the NW. This is the pick of the whole outlook. Clean, fun-sized waves, and with the swell direction matching the optimal from the southeast, Shelley Beach should have some shape. Keep in mind it’s a consistent spot, but crowds are sometimes a factor here.

After Saturday, the surf goes very quiet. From Sunday the 12th right through to Wednesday the 15th of July, we have a massive gap. The swell drops below 2 ft, with energy readings falling into the weak range (beneath 100). There’s no surf to speak of.

Then on Thursday the 16th of July, a new pulse arrives. A 7 ft S swell with a period of 14 seconds – that’s a long period groundswell. The energy is strong at 1868, but the wind is a moderate breeze from the SW creating a cross-shore chop. The setup looks messy and marginal, and at that size with a long period, Shelley Beach as a beach break will likely close out. Not the best.

Friday the 17th through to the end of the 16-day window on Wednesday the 22nd of July is mostly small and poor. A few mornings show clean conditions with offshores, like the 18th morning and the 22nd morning, but the swell is tiny (under 3 ft) with weak energy. It’s surfable, but just ordinary. The long-range stuff is promising but less certain, so keep an eye on it.

The real highlight? Saturday the 11th of July. That’s your session.

Rusty.

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