
Surf Forecasts:
Shelley Beach surf forecast from 6 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 13 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period, SSW swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 13 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 11s period, S swell with 1,540 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 7 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 10s period with SSE 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 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 7s. 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 2.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 13) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 13) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Fri 7th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Thu 13th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Thu 13th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Shelley Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you—this 16-day window for Shelley Beach is looking like a whole lot of nothing for us paddle surfers. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak, and messy waves ahead, and honestly, the first real bit of hope doesn’t even show up until Thursday the 13th, and even then, it’s a tricky one.
The next week and a half are going to be a grind. We’re looking at a lot of days with minimal swell, mostly under 3 feet, and the winds are all over the place. There’s a glassy morning on Saturday the 8th, but the swell’s barely pushing 1 feet, which is more of a knee-paddle than a surf. The energy is weak, sitting around 76, so it’s just not worth suiting up for. We get a slight bump on Sunday the 9th with some chest-high ENE swell, but the cross-off wind is making it lumpy and hard to read. The combined energy gets into the moderate range at 159, but it’s still just ordinary.
Monday the 10th has some size, but the wind is howling offshore at 25 mph. It’s clean, sure, but it’s blowing so hard you can’t even get out the back. The energy is moderate at 242, but it’s a fight, not a surf. The rest of that week stays small and onshore, with a tiny S pulse on Tuesday the 11th and Wednesday the 12th that gets the energy up to 158-167, but the swell is still under 3 feet. It’s just not doing it for me.
Now, here’s the one thing that catches my eye. Thursday the 13th. The swell forecast is a solid 10 feet from the SSW with the energy gauge absolutely cranking at 2047. That’s some serious juice. But—and this is a big but—the comments literally say it’s predicted to be too big for this break. It’s also coming with a moderate cross-shore. For Shelley Beach, which is an exposed setup, that much swell is going to be a washing machine. It’ll be a sight to see, but for paddling out on a normal board? You’d want to be a proper expert, and even then, it’s sketchy. The following Friday the 14th drops to 6 feet, but it’s got a cross-shore chop on it, so it’s not going to be clean. The energy is still strong at 856, so there’s power, but the conditions are against us.
After that, it’s back to the small stuff and onshore winds for the rest of the week. The second week is mostly forgettable, with a few glassy windows like Wednesday the 19th afternoon and Thursday the 20th morning, but the swell is just too weak to get excited about. The energy is down in the double digits, which is just sad.
There is one light at the end of the tunnel, though. Saturday the 22nd. It’s a long way out, so I wouldn’t book the day off work yet, but the early call is for a 8 feet S swell with glassy conditions. That’s got “expect very good surf conditions” written all over it, and the energy is strong at 736. If that holds, that’s the standout. That’s the one we’re waiting for. It’s over two weeks away, so treat it as a promising rumour more than a guarantee, but it’s finally something to dream about.
Otherwise, it’s a lean spell. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there. For the next week or so, you might be better off dusting off the kiteboard if the wind’s blowing, because for the paddle crew, it’s slim pickings. Keep an eye on that 22nd, though. That could be the one.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun afternoon, min 8°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 19°C on Tue afternoon, min 10°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NW on Mon morning, light winds from the WNW by Tue afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | ||||||||||||||
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) | S 7 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | S 8 | SSE 9 | E 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
39 | 56 | 63 | 49 | 31 | 30 | 63 | 149 | 184 | 277 | 237 | 106 | 47 | 29 | 123 | 37 | 112 | 75 | 55 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | 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 | 8:05AM0.36m | 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 | |||||||
— | 6:41 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | |
— | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 18 | 19 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 12 |
Feels °C | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | S 8 | S 7 | E 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 11 | S 8 | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 |
39 | 56 | 63 | 49 | 30 | 27 | 63 | 149 | 184 | 277 | 237 | 106 | 47 | 29 | 123 | 33 | 112 | 75 | 55 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 10 | S 9 | S 8 | E 7 | SSE 9 | E 8 | S 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | E 14 | S 13 | N 5 | E 13 | SSW 7 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 |
38 | 38 | 35 | 26 | 31 | 22 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 35 | 32 | 55 | 52 | 32 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | S 8 | ENE 7 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | S 6 | S 6 | S 10 | S 9 | E 14 | — | S 12 | NNE 8 | S 11 | — | NE 5 | S 13 |
15 | 16 | 24 | 35 | 15 | 30 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — | 12 | 6 | 37 | — | 7 | 3 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 2 | — | — | SSW 3 | — | ENE 6 | NE 4 | NE 5 | NE 4 | N 4 | NW 4 | WNW 4 | W 4 | WNW 4 | NW 3 | NNW 3 | N 4 | W 4 | W 5 |
1 | — | — | 1 | — | 16 | 10 | 23 | 20 | 18 | 30 | 25 | 19 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 33 | 57 | 85 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 83 | 26 | 0 | 22 | 26 | 219 | 26 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Newcastle | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||
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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.











