Shelley Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what Shelley Beach has cookin' for us over the next couple of weeks. Gotta be honest, it's a bit of a mixed bag, and for the most part, the ocean's just not playing ball. There's a lot of chop and wind-ruffled slop to sift through before we get anything decent.

For the first few days, right through Tuesday the 15th and into Wednesday the 16th, it’s pretty grim. Small, weak windswell with periods around 6 seconds and combined energy barely reaching 54. The wind is cross-onshore, making a mess of things. Wednesday the 16th sees a big jump in swell height – we're talking 10 ft to 12 ft from the South with a period of 10 seconds – but it's arriving with a strong cross-onshore wind that's just whipping the surface into a lumpy, choppy mess. The combined energy is massive (1633 to 2168), but it's unsurfable for a paddle; honestly, if you're into kites, that setup might look a whole lot more interesting.

Thursday the 17th is a bit of a tease. Morning session has a solid 10 ft S swell and the wind eases to a moderate breeze, but it's still cross-onshore and it's predicted to be just too big for this break. The afternoon cleans up a little with a 7 ft SSE swell and onshore wind, but the conditions are still described as poor.

We finally get a small window on Saturday the 19th. Saturday morning is the standout of the whole run. The swell drops to a clean 3 ft from the South with a period of 9 seconds, but the wind goes glassy. Combined energy is a modest 214, but that glassy surface is pure gold. It'll be small, but clean and fun for a log or a mid-length. The water temperature is about average for this time of year. Just a heads up, crowds are possible here.

After that, it's back to the struggle. We've got a long stretch of poor surf from Saturday afternoon right through to Monday the 28th. Most days are plagued by strong, lumpy cross-shore winds, making anything over knee-high a bumpy mess. The swell sticks around from the S and SSE, often with a long period (10-13 seconds), which usually means better shape, but the wind just ruins it.

There's a little flicker of hope on Monday the 28th of September. The afternoon session looks alright. We get a clean 4 ft swell from the ESE with a period of 7 seconds and, crucially, a moderate offshore wind from the NNW. That’s the kind of wind that will clean things right up. It's not a world-beater, but after all that rubbish, a clean offshore wave is a welcome sight. The combined energy sits at 292 – moderate.

But that's about it for the 16-day window. There's a massive gap of un-surfable conditions before that Monday arvo, and nothing promising after it. A long run of poor conditions, really.

So, to wrap it up: your best bet is Saturday the 19th morning at Shelley Beach for a tiny, glassy session. The other option, if you're desperate and can wait, is Monday the 28th afternoon for that clean offshore wind. For everything else, you might as well stay home and wax your board.

Rusty.

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