Shelley Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming our way for the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, and we’re going to have to be patient.

The overall pattern is pretty frustrating, to be honest. There are some swells on the horizon, but the winds are going to be a real challenge for most of the period. We’ve got a lot of onshore and cross-onshore conditions that are going to make a mess of things. There are a few windows of opportunity, but you’ll have to pick your moments.

Looking at Tuesday afternoon, the 11th of August, we get a bit of a tease. A 5ft south swell rolls in, and with a period of 11 seconds, it’s got some decent groundswell energy. The combined swell energy is moderate (573). The wind is a light cross-off from the WNW, which will keep the surface clean. It’s looking promising, but it’s a short window.

Wednesday the 12th is a step down, with smaller swell and only so-so conditions. It’s not the day to get excited about.

Now, Friday morning the 14th is a real standout. The wind is set to go glassy and variable, dropping to zero from the SW. That’s a huge plus—you’ll be looking at a mirror-like ocean. The swell is a clean 3ft from the south with a 9-second period, and the combined energy is moderate (197). It’s not huge, but with that glassy wind, Shelley Beach is going to be as clean as it gets. The water temp is 64°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

If you miss that, you’ve got to wait a while. We go into a long, dusty period of poor surf. From the afternoon of the 14th all the way through to the 20th, it’s mostly onshore winds and messy conditions. The swell stays up a bit, with some days seeing 5ft to 7ft from the SSE and SE, but the wind is just constant garbage—cross-on or onshore—with moderate breeze strength. It’s the kind of setup that might be more interesting for kite surfing than paddling a surfboard. This streak of poor quality goes on for about 6 days.

We get a little break on Friday morning, the 21st of August. Another glassy period, with the wind dropping to zero from the NNW. The swell is small, only 3ft from the east with a 9-second period and moderate energy (167). It’s rideable, but very ordinary, and not worth a special trip.

Then it gets messy again through the weekend. The standout in the longer range, and I mean a real standout, is Sunday the 23rd of August. The morning shows a 6ft swell from the NE with a 10-second period. The combined swell energy is massive—strong to very strong at 1145. The wind is a moderate cross-shore from the SW. This is a powerful groundswell with a bunch of energy behind it. But hold up—at 6ft, it’s getting into the size that’s more for experienced surfers, especially with a longer period swell like this. It’s also a NE swell, and Shelley Beach is exposed to the SE, so the direction isn’t a perfect match. With the cross-shore wind it might be a bit lumpy, but for the size and energy, it’s the most interesting day of the entire 16-day window if you can handle it.

After that, Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th look rough again with fresh cross-onshore winds, and the run fizzles out into very small and weak surf by Wednesday the 26th.

So, overall, don’t hold your breath. The best bet is Friday the 14th for a clean, smaller session, and Sunday the 23rd is the big, powerful option for those who want to charge. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or both.

Rusty.

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