Shelley Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Shelley Beach. We’ve got a bit of a slow start and some tricky windows, but there is a solid run of quality surf coming in the second week if you can wait it out.

First up, the water temp is sitting pretty average for this time of year, nothing unusual to report there. The first real chance to get wet is Monday the 7th of September, early. We’ve got a clean, glassy morning with 5ft SSE swell at 8 seconds – short period, so it’ll be a bit crumbly, but with zero wind and clean conditions, it’s a fun option for an intermediate surfer. Energy is moderate (261). Later that day the wind swings and ruins it, so make the most of the morning.

Tuesday the 8th is a write-off. The swell jumps up to 8ft but it’s cross-onshore and messy. That kind of size with poor conditions is not worth it – over 8ft is expert territory and the chop will make it a battle. Wednesday the 9th has a tiny window in the morning – 4ft, 8 seconds, but with a light cross-on breeze it’s marginal at best. Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th are both plagued by strong, onshore winds and lumpy conditions. Swell stays up but quality is poor. Not recommended.

We get a slight improvement on Saturday the 12th morning – 6ft SSE swell at a longer 11 seconds, so it’ll have a bit more shape and energy (748). Gentle cross-shore breeze, so there’s a slight chop, but it’s surfable for intermediates. Not a standout, but better than the previous days. Sunday the 13th morning has a tiny clean wave – only 3ft and light cross-off wind – but it’s small and weak. The following week starts flat and small. Monday the 14th to Wednesday the 16th is mostly weak, small surf with average conditions. Not worth paddling out.

Now, here’s where things get interesting. The real standout is Saturday the 19th of September. We’ve got a moderate offshore breeze from the WNW in the morning, with a clean 6ft S swell at 9 seconds. That’s a solid, punchy wave with good energy (967). Conditions are looking very good – clean faces, light offshore wind, and the swell direction matches the optimum from the southeast. This is the best on offer for Shelley Beach. The afternoon stays clean with a light cross-off breeze, same size, longer period at 11 seconds, giving it even more shape and power (804). Sunday the 20th morning is also a winner – 7ft S swell at 10 seconds, clean with light offshore winds (833). This is solid intermediate-to-expert territory. If you can hold out, that weekend is the one.

After that, Monday the 21st and Tuesday the 22nd fade quickly into small, choppy, onshore slop. So, in summary: the first week is mostly a bust with a few small clean windows. The real magic is the weekend of the 19th and 20th of September – clean offshore winds, decent to solid swell, and good energy. Worth the wait. Crowds are listed as “sometimes” at Shelley Beach, so on that kind of quality, expect company.

Rusty out.

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