Shelley Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

Alright, I’m not gonna sugar-coat it—this run is lookin’ pretty flat and average for the most part. There’s a bit of hope late in the window, but you’re gonna be waitin’ a while for anything worth paddlin’ out for. We’re talkin’ a solid gap of over a week where the surf is just not on.

The water temp is sittin’ around 64°F, which is pretty standard for this time of year, no surprises there.

Let’s start with the first real chance you get. Monday morning, 24 August, Shelley Beach picks up a little 3ft south swell. The period is 10 seconds, so it’s got a bit of push, but not a ton. Winds are light and clean from the north, which is cross-off, so the surface will be tidy. Combined energy is moderate at 171. It’s surfable, but ordinary. A little one for a quick session if you’re desperate.

Then things go flat and messy again until Tuesday afternoon, 25 August. That’s where we get a jump to a 5ft swell from the northeast, period short at 7 seconds. Still, the wind is cross-off from the north-northeast, keepin’ it clean, and the combined energy jumps up to 322. That’s moderate, but punchy for Shelley. The model gives this one a decent nod—expect some fun little ramps, but it won’t be world-class.

After that, a bit more junk until Friday morning, 28 August. This is a standout. It’s glassy—yes, glassy! Wind is from the southwest at just 3 mph. The swell is 3ft from the south, 9-second period, and combined energy at 207. It’s small, but with those clean, glassy conditions, this is your best bet for a smooth, cruisy session. The south swell direction isn’t bang-on for Shelley’s optimum (which is southeast), but the clean conditions make up for it.

Now for the long-range promise. Saturday morning, 5 September—over a week away—we get a very clean look. Swell is only 2ft, but the period is a massive 21 seconds. That’s a proper, long-period groundswell from the south. Combined energy is high at 500, which is strong. Winds are light and from the north-northeast, off the land. This is expected to produce very good surf conditions. That long period will wrap in nicely, but it’ll be a bit fat and straight on a beach break—still, for the experts, there’ll be some nice, lined-up walls if you pick your take-off spot. Keep an eye on it, but don’t lock in your plans just yet—it’s a long way out.

Overall, the best two windows are Friday morning 28 August for the glassy, clean small waves, and Saturday morning 5 September for that long-period groundswell potential. The rest of the time, you’re better off doin’ something else.

Rusty.

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