
Surf Forecasts:
Shelley Beach surf forecast from 11 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 15 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 8s period, S swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 15 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, S swell with 2,337 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 11 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 12s period with ESE 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 Saturday (Jul 11) at 1PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Shelley Beach in the next 16 days are 3.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 12) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1PM (Sat 11th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Wed 15th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Wed 15th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Shelley Beach over the next 16 days.
Right, mate, let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Shelley Beach.
The weekend kicks off with a bit of fun-sized surf, but don’t get too excited just yet. It’s a fairly clean start, but things go flat pretty quickly after that. We’re lookin’ at a real dry spell from late Sunday all the way through to the middle of the following week - a proper gap of about three to four days with bugger-all to ride.
Saturday morning, 11 July, is your best bet this side of the forecast. Shelley Beach is showing a clean 1.1m SE swell with a light offshore breeze out of the NW. It’s got that nice, organised look to it - the kind of morning where you can just paddle out and enjoy the quiet. The water temp is sitting at 66°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no surprises there. Expect some clean, user-friendly waves for the intermediate crew. Crowds can show up here sometimes, but that early session should be worth it.
Saturday afternoon sees the swell drop a touch to 0.9m from the ESE, wind shifts to a cross-off from the NNE. Still clean, still fun, but this is the last decent window for a few days. The combined swell energy is sitting at 327 - moderate but workable.
Then it all goes pear-shaped. Sunday morning, 12 July, the wind picks up to 25 km/h from the WNW, and the swell drops to 0.7m. By Monday and Tuesday it’s down to barely a ripple - 0.2m or less, with energy readings in the single digits and low twenties. Not worth paddling out for. Wednesday, 15 July, the swell jumps up to 2.4m from the S, but it’s a cross-onshore mess with 30 km/h winds. That combined swell energy hits a huge 1742, but the wind kills it - this is really only interesting for kite surfers, not for a paddle surfer. Wednesday afternoon sees that swell push even higher to 3.0m, but again the wind is fresh and cross-shore, making it lumpy and unruly. That’s expert-only territory, and even then, it’s far from ideal.
Thursday and Friday are a mix of mid-range swell but poor wind - mostly cross-on or cross-shore with chop, so pretty average.
Now, if you can wait, there is a true standout comin’ up. Sunday morning, 19 July. Shelley Beach gets a lovely clean 1.6m E swell with glassy conditions - a very light offshore from the NW at just 5 km/h. The combined swell energy is a strong 561, and the consistency is there. This is the pick of the whole outlook. The wave quality will be superb, and if you can get out early, you’ll have clean, groomed lines worth the wait.
Monday, 20 July, also looks solid with a gentle offshore from the NW in the morning, 1.3m E swell, and clean conditions. Good continuation of that run.
The real heavy-hitter for the experienced crew arrives Wednesday, 22 July, and Thursday, 23 July. We’re talkin’ 2.0m to 2.4m S swell with clean, cross-off winds from the WSW. That’s heavy energy - readings up around 1428 - and excellent shape for those who know what they’re doing. Definitely not for beginners, but the advanced crowd will be all over it. Keep in mind the swell direction is directly from the south, which suits Shelley Beach’s exposed setup perfectly.
After that, Friday 24 July sees the swell drop back to a more manageable 0.9m from the S, clean, good conditions again. But then the weekend of 25 July turns windy and messy once more.
One more standout in the far-out part of the forecast: Sunday morning, 26 July. Glassy conditions - dead calm wind from the NNW - with a 1.2m S swell. The combined energy is 221 - moderate - but that glassy surface will make it look like a mirror. Perfect for a peaceful session.
So, if I’m callin’ it, the true standouts here are Sunday 19 July for the clean, fun E swell, and the Wednesday-Thursday window of 22-23 July for the big, clean south swell aimed at the experienced surfer. Get in before the crowds, especially on the Sunday.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon afternoon, min 9°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 20mm), heaviest during Thu afternoon. Warm (max 20°C on Tue afternoon, min 12°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Wed morning, light winds from the S by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | S 11 | S 12 | S 11 | S 21 | S 17 | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 | SSE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
172 | 193 | 194 | 107 | 50 | 31 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 22 | 2149 | 1553 | 572 | 440 | 423 | 512 | 463 | 290 | 283 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 5:23PM1.64m | 6:06AM1.07m | 6:19PM1.74m | 7:08AM1.11m | 7:13PM1.82m | 8:03AM1.14m | 8:04PM1.86m | 8:55AM1.18m | 8:54PM1.85m | 9:44AM1.21m | 9:42PM1.79m | 10:32AM1.23m | 10:29PM1.67m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:38AM0.30m | 00:15AM0.17m | 11:38AM0.29m | 1:13AM0.06m | 12:36PM0.26m | 2:06AM-0.02m | 1:30PM0.24m | 2:56AM-0.06m | 2:23PM0.23m | 3:43AM-0.06m | 3:15PM0.24m | 4:28AM-0.02m | 4:07PM0.28m | ||||||||
6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | |
— | 5:00 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:05 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 5 |
Temp °C | 15 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 18 | 19 | 12 | 19 | 20 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 |
Feels °C | 13 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 14 | 15 | 7 | 14 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SE 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SSW 7 | SSW 6 | S 11 | S 7 | S 7 | S 6 | — | — | S 15 | E 9 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | E 9 | E 8 |
172 | 129 | 194 | 107 | 50 | 31 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 15 | — | — | 5 | 41 | 15 | 30 | 46 | 290 | 283 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 6 | ESE 8 | S 12 | SE 8 | S 11 | S 10 | S 11 | — | — | — | S 14 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 18 | S 6 |
169 | 193 | 47 | 17 | 16 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 22 | — | — | — | 4 | 15 | 30 | 73 | 6 | 92 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 15 | S 16 | S 15 | NE 4 | — | S 11 | S 11 | ESE 8 | — | S 21 | S 17 | E 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 11 |
4 | 5 | 4 | 1 | — | 3 | 10 | 7 | — | 8 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 21 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NNW 3 | W 4 | W 4 | W 4 | WNW 3 | — | WNW 3 | NW 3 | W 3 | W 3 | S 10 | S 9 | SSE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | S 6 | — |
— | — | 3 | 9 | 6 | 12 | 7 | — | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2149 | 1553 | 572 | 440 | 423 | 512 | 463 | 121 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 13 | 31 | 22 | 46 | 161 | 228 | 161 | 13 | 158 | 205 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 41 | 11 | 131 | 11 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Newcastle | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
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.










