Shelley Beach Surf Break

Lat Long: 33.36° S 151.51° E

Shelley Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 3 pm 06 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Shelley Beach sea temperature is
17.7° C
0.6° 

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 6 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 13 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 11s period, S swell with cross-shore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 13 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 12s period, S swell with 3,471 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 7 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 7s period with S 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 Friday (Aug 07) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Shelley Beach in the next 16 days are 3.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 13) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 13) at 4AM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 1AM (Fri 7th Aug)2ft (0.6m) 7s
Best Surf 4PM (Thu 13th Aug)10ft (3.0m) 11s
Most Powerful10PM (Thu 13th Aug)11ft (3.5m) 12s

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


The Lowdown

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Shelley Beach over the next couple of weeks.

To be honest, mate, the start of this period is pretty flat and ordinary. The first few days are really just background dribble. Thursday afternoon the 6th has a bit of a pulse at 3ft from the S with a short 8-second period, but the cross-onshore wind from the ENE makes it a messy, poor look. Not worth paddling out for.

Friday the 7th morning, we get a window of glassy conditions with a light WNW offshore, but the swell is tiny – only 2ft from the SSE with a 10-second period. The combined energy is weak (111). It’s surfable but very ordinary. Saturday the 8th morning is also glassy, calm wind, but again just 2ft from the S. These are really just grovel sessions.

The first real standout comes late on Tuesday the 11th afternoon. The swell jumps to 4ft from the S, period 9 seconds, and the wind goes glassy from the SE. The combined energy is a solid moderate (375). The conditions are expected to be good, with clean, glassy waves. That’s your best bet for the first week, hands down. Wednesday the 12th morning also looks clean with a cross-offshore NNW breeze and 4ft from the S (265 energy), but the Tuesday afternoon glass-off is the pick.

Now, hold on to your board, because we get a massive pulse of swell starting Thursday the 13th afternoon. The swell hits 10ft from the S with an 11-second period, and the combined energy absolutely explodes to 2336. That’s strong. But the problem is, the wind is a moderate cross-shore from the SW, and for a beach break like Shelley, that much juice is going to be a washing machine. The data flat out says it’s too big for this break. The same goes for Friday the 14th (12ft, 3082 energy), Saturday the 15th morning (10ft, 3139 energy), and the rest of that weekend. That kind of size and power is strictly for experts, and even then, the wind is not ideal – it’s cross or cross-onshore on the Saturday afternoon. Honestly, that setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

After that big swell fades, the following week from Monday the 17th onwards goes back to poor surf conditions with strong onshore winds and lumpy, messy waves. The swell drops to 5ft and then smaller, but the wind is just ruining it. The combined energy drops back to moderate or weak levels. Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st mornings show a tiny pulse of 2ft from the SE with a clean cross-offshore wind, but it’s really just ankle-biters.

So, the one true standout is Tuesday the 11th afternoon. Glassy, clean, and a decent waist-chest high S swell. That’s the window to get out. The bigger stuff later in the week is just too much for Shelley Beach.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun morning, min 8°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun afternoon, min 8°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WNW on Mon morning, calm by Tue morning).

Thu
6
Friday
7
Saturday
8
Sunday
9
Monday
10
Tuesday
11
Wednesday
12
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
2
1
2
2
2
0
0
Swell
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
8
0.6
S
7
0.5
SSE
10
0.7
SSE
9
0.5
SSE
9
0.6
S
8
0.5
S
8
0.7
E
8
0.9
ENE
9
1.1
ENE
9
1.5
ENE
8
1.1
ENE
9
0.8
ENE
9
0.9
S
12
1.4
S
10
1.2
S
9
1.3
S
11
1.1
S
10
0.8
S
9
0.6
ENE
7
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
113
39
56
88
49
46
30
61
138
184
291
207
98
213
349
234
411
233
104
31
Wind (km/h)
10
ENE
10
WNW
5
WNW
10
E
10
W
0
WNW
15
ENE
15
N
15
NNE
20
NNE
35
WNW
40
NW
35
W
15
WNW
15
W
0
SSE
15
NW
15
NNW
35
NW
35
W
Wind State
cross-on
off
glassy
cross-on
cross-off
glassy
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
off
cross-off
glassy
off
cross-off
off
cross-off
High Tide
2:10AM1.03m
2:58PM1.44m
3:35AM0.98m
4:06PM1.52m
4:56AM1.00m
5:11PM1.61m
6:03AM1.06m
6:09PM1.71m
6:59AM1.13m
7:01PM1.78m
7:49AM1.20m
7:50PM1.80m
Low Tide
8:28PM0.44m
8:05AM0.36m
9:50PM0.38m
9:15AM0.39m
11:05PM0.28m
10:25AM0.38m
00:08AM0.16m
11:31AM0.33m
1:02AM0.07m
12:29PM0.27m
1:49AM-0.00m
1:22PM0.22m
2:33AM-0.03m
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
cloud
rain showers
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
light rain
part cloud
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:41
6:39
6:39
6:37
6:37
6:35
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:17
5:17
5:19
5:20
5:21
5:21
5:22
 mm
4
2
Temp °C
14
13
14
14
14
13
15
14
18
18
15
14
14
12
17
17
13
12
13
13
Feels °C
10
9
11
11
12
11
11
10
13
13
11
5
6
6
15
15
9
6
6
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