Shelley Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Shelley Beach. Let’s get straight into it.

The next couple of weeks are a mixed bag, but there’s a real window of clean, fun surf coming up this weekend before the ocean turns into a total beast. For the first few days, it’s a bit of a struggle, but hang in there.

Starting off Thursday the 23rd afternoon, it’s small. We’re looking at a weak 2ft ENE windswell with a short period. The combined energy is a paltry 76, so don’t expect much. The wind is cross. Honestly, it’s poor. Friday the 24th sees a jump in size, with a 5ft S swell in the morning, but it’s messy with a cross-chop and the energy is moderate (437). The afternoon cleans up slightly with a 5ft S swell and a light onshore wind, but it’s still marginal. Not worth paddling out for.

Now, Saturday the 25th morning is where it gets interesting. The swell is solid at 5ft from the south, with a clean 11-second period – that’s proper groundswell energy hitting 611. The wind is a light cross-offshore out of the WNW. That’s clean. This is the standout for the whole period. Shelley Beach will have some real shape and push. The water temp is 65°, which is about normal for this time of year, so just a standard spring suit will do.

Sunday the 26th morning is still pretty good. The S swell drops a touch to 5ft, but the period is long at 11 seconds and the wind is light cross-off again. The energy is still moderate (463). It’s a solid, clean option, but Saturday morning has the edge on size.

After that, the surf fades fast. The week of the 27th to the 31st of July is mostly a write-off. We get small, weak S swells, a lot of poor conditions, and the odd clean morning with almost no power. The energy drops to 85 or less on some days. There’s a gap of several days here where I wouldn’t bother.

Then, things get wild. Starting Sunday the 2nd of August, the swell absolutely detonates. We’re looking at 10ft to 13ft south swells with massive energy readings in the thousands (3282 to 7631). This is way too big for Shelley Beach, and it’s only for experts – if you’re a beginner, stay well away. The wind is cross or onshore and strong, making it a complete mess. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing given the size and chop.

The whole first week of August is a solid no-go. The swell stays huge, 11ft to 13ft, with combined energy sometimes over 5000. Even the glassy morning on Friday the 7th has a 10ft ESE swell that’s just too big and powerful for this break. The forecast says it’s too big, and I agree.

So, if you’re looking for a wave, your only real window is Saturday morning the 25th of July. That’s the one. The rest of the time, it’s either flat, weak, or a washing machine. Don’t get caught out there when the big stuff hits.

Rusty.

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