Shelley Beach Surf Break

Lat Long: 33.36° S 151.51° E

Issued: 9 pm 02 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Shelley Beach sea temperature is
19.6° C

1.0°C warmer than normal for this time of year

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 2 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 7 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 10s period, SSE swell with cross-shore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 5 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 12s period, SSE swell with 2,274 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 4 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 7s period with SSW 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 04) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 8s. 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 3.0m 12s 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 0.7m 4s period and expected on Friday (Jul 03) at 4AM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 1AM (Sat 4th Jul)1.5ft (0.5m) 7s
Best Surf10AM (Tue 7th Jul)10ft (3.0m) 10s
Most Powerful 7PM (Sun 5th Jul)10ft (3.0m) 12s

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


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Shelley Beach over the next couple weeks.

Alright, first up, there’s a bit of a slow start. Friday 3rd July is a write-off, just tiny wind-blown slop with only 1 ft of swell from the NE—hardly worth paddling out for.

But then Saturday 4th July morning brings a glimmer. It’s still small, only 3 ft of south swell, but that 12-second period means it’s a proper groundswell with a bit of push. With a light offshore WNW breeze at 3 mph, it’ll be clean. The combined swell energy is moderate at 288. Not a standout, but a nice little window to get wet. The afternoon turns onshore and choppy, so don’t sleep in.

Sunday 5th gets ugly fast. A big 10 ft south swell rolls in, but it’s accompanied by a strong cross-onshore wind at 22 mph and lumpy conditions. Combined energy is strong at 1760, but it’s a no-go for paddle surfing—looks more interesting for kite surfing than surfing.

Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th stay big and messy. Tuesday morning actually has a score that says the wind and tide might be favourable, but the swell is 10 ft with 2936 combined energy—too big and powerful for most. The afternoon is even worse with cross-onshore wind.

Wednesday 8th is marginal, with 7 ft of SE swell and a bit of cross-chop. Not terrible but not worth getting excited about.

Now, Thursday 9th July morning is the first real standout of the forecast. It’s clean with 6 ft of SE swell at 10 seconds, and a light offshore W breeze at 3 mph—glassy conditions. Combined energy at 742 is moderate. This will be some of the best surf of the period, and with the offshore wind, it’ll be smooth and lined up.

Friday 10th morning is also okay, with 4 ft of SE swell and a light offshore, but it drops off in the afternoon.

From Saturday 11th through to Monday 13th, it’s small and weak—under 2 ft—with low energy. Not much happening.

But then Tuesday 14th July morning fires up again. A solid 8 ft south swell hits with a 10-second period, light offshore NW wind at 6 mph, and combined energy at 1085 is strong. For experienced surfers, this is excellent—big, powerful, and clean. The water temp is about average for this time of year.

Wednesday 15th drops off into small, ordinary waves again.

Thursday 16th is big but messy, with 8 ft and strong cross-onshore winds, poor quality.

Friday 17th July brings a massive 12 ft south swell with a long 11-second period—combined energy at 5282, that’s very strong. But it’s too big for most. The wind is light cross-shore, but you’d need to be an expert to handle this. The same goes for Saturday 18th July morning—8 ft of ESE groundswell at 12 seconds, glassy conditions with a light W breeze, but again it’s big and powerful, only for the experienced crew. Combined energy is strong at 2233.

So overall, the table is set: Saturday 4th morning for a gentle start, then Thursday 9th July morning is the pick of the bunch for clean, fun waves. And if you’re a heavy hitter, Tuesday 14th July morning and the big stuff on the 17th and 18th will get the heart pumping.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri morning, min 10°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WNW on Sat morning, fresh winds from the SSW by Sun morning).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Sun night. Very mild (max 16°C on Mon morning, min 13°C on Tue night). Mainly fresh winds.

Friday
3
Saturday
4
Sunday
5
Monday
6
Tuesday
7
Wednesday
8
Thu
9
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Rating
(10 max)
1
0
0
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
!
0
2
2
2
3
3
2
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)
0.6
ENE
8
0.4
NE
7
0.4
ENE
8
0.5
SSW
7
1
S
12
1
S
9
1.1
S
8
3
S
10
2.5
S
9
3
SSE
10
2.5
SSE
10
2.5
SSE
10
2.5
SSE
10
3
SSE
10
3
SSE
11
2.3
SE
11
2.1
SE
10
2.1
SE
10
1.9
SE
10
1.9
SE
10
1.8
SE
10
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
45
13
25
26
271
166
165
1729
1224
1588
1260
1116
1300
1637
1866
1210
850
910
716
730
639
Wind (km/h)
25
NNW
25
WNW
30
W
15
W
5
WNW
5
SE
15
S
35
SSW
30
S
30
SSE
25
SE
25
SSE
20
S
20
SSW
20
S
15
SSW
15
SW
15
S
10
WSW
5
WNW
10
ENE
Wind State
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
off
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
on
on
on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
High Tide
10:30AM1.07m
10:18PM1.52m
11:11AM1.10m
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
Low Tide
4:31AM0.19m
3:52PM0.43m
5:06AM0.19m
4:36PM0.46m
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
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
rain showers
light rain
light rain
light rain
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
cloud
cloud
rain showers
part cloud
rain showers
clear
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:58
6:58
6:58
6:58
6:58
6:56
6:56
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
4:57
4:58
4:58
4:59
4:59
5:00
5:00
 mm
1
1
2
4
2
1
4
2
1
1
Temp °C
17
19
17
12
14
15
15
14
15
15
16
16
16
16
16
15
15
16
15
15
15
Feels °C
12
12
9
7
11
12
13
8
8
8
11
11
12
12
11
11
11
13
13
14
13
Swell 1
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.6
ENE
8
0.4
NE
7
0.4
ENE
8
0.5
SSW
7
1
S
12
1
S
9
0.8
S
8
0.3
E
8
0.2
E
13
0.1
E
13
0.1
E
14
0.1
E
14
2.3
SSE
10
2.5
SE
10
2.5
SE
11
2.3
SE
11
2.1
SE
10
2.1
SE
10
1.9
SE
10
1.9
SE
10
1.8
SE
10
Energy kJ
45
13
25
26
271
166
84
11
13
3
4
4
1045
1299
1523
1210
850
910
716
730
639
Swell 2
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.2
E
10
0.1
E
8
0.2
E
12
0.4
ENE
8
0.4
NE
7
0.2
ENE
7
0.4
S
12
0.2
E
13
0.1
NE
7
0.2
E
13
0.2
E
14
0.2
E
16
1.3
S
11
0.2
S
17
0.6
S
10
1
ESE
13
0.8
ESE
13
0.6
ESE
11
0.1
S
18
0.4
ESE
10
Energy kJ
8
1
11
22
14
5
41
14
2
14
14
19
372
22
78
368
202
95
6
39
Swell 3
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.1
E
7
0.1
N
5
0.2
E
12
0.1
E
13
0.2
E
12
0.2
ENE
7
0.2
E
8
0.2
S
15
0.3
S
10
0.1
S
20
0.1
S
18
0.1
S
17
Energy kJ
1
1
11
3
12
5
6
19
18
7
6
5
Wind waves
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.6
NW
3
0.6
WNW
3
0.7
W
4
0.3
W
3
1.1
S
8
3
S
10
2.5
S
9
3
SSE
10
2.5
SSE
10
2.5
SSE
10
2.5
SSE
10
3
SSE
10
3
SSE
11
Energy kJ
8
8
13
2
165
1729
1224
1588
1260
1116
1300
1637
1866
Nearest Offshore or Glassy
Rating
(10 max)
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
3
4
3
4
2
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
Distance (km)
0
42
219
0
0
11
11
180
296
292
166
205
11
11
11
11
9
11
0
0
52
Best forecast wave conditions in Newcastle
Rating
(10 max)
1
2
2
2
2
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia
Rating
(10 max)
5
5
3
9
4
5
4
5
9
5
4
4
9
8
6
5
5
4
5
5
4
Header Global
Rating
(10 max)
5
9
5
9
5
7
5
5
9
7
7
6
9
8
6
6
7
9
7
7
9
  • 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
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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.

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