Shelley Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here, and we've got a bit of a mixed bag comin' up over the next couple of weeks. It's not gonna be a classic run, that's for sure. There's a decent window of clean, small waves to kick things off, but then we hit a long, drawn-out lull with a heap of junky conditions. There is a serious pulse of energy showing way down the track, but it comes with a big caveat.

We'll start at Shelley Beach. Sunday the 30th is your best bet early on. We've got a clean, glassy morning with a tiny 3ft south swell, period around 9 seconds, and the water's sitting at 64°, which is about average for this time of year. The combined energy's got a nice moderate kick to it (216). It's tiny but clean, and the crowd factor means you might have to share, but for a Sunday session, it's a good option.

Monday the 31st gets a bit tricky. The morning has a tiny 2ft south groundswell with a very long 16-second period. That's a long wait between sets, and the cross-shore breeze will put a bit of a crinkle on the face. It's marginal.

Tuesday the 1st of September is worth a mention. Morning brings a cleaner look with a cross-offshore breeze and a 3ft south swell at 11 seconds. The energy's moderate (209). Tuesday afternoon gets a nice offshore wind too, but the swell's already dropping.

From Wednesday the 2nd, it's a downward slide. We're lookin' at a solid stretch of small, weak surf – mostly under 3ft – with onshore or cross-shore winds. The energy dips into the double digits (82 to 116) for days on end. Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th are particularly poor. Saturday the 5th has a howling 19 mph cross-offshore wind, but it's on a tiny 2ft swell, so it's just not worth it. This run of flat, messy conditions lasts a good week.

We finally see a pulse of real energy arrive on Thursday the 10th of September. Shelley Beach gets a solid 7ft south swell at 13 seconds on Thursday morning. The combined energy is massive (1649). But here's the catch: by Thursday afternoon, the swell is predicted to be too big for this break at 10ft, with an enormous energy reading of 5552. The wind is also directly onshore. This is expert territory only, and even then, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Friday the 11th is still oversized at 8ft, and the wind stays messy.

After that, it drops back down to 4ft by Saturday the 12th, but the onshore wind ruins it. The very end of the outlook on Monday the 14th shows a 5ft south swell, but with a short 7-second period and a 19 mph cross-shore wind, it's another write-off.

So, to sum it up: the standout is Sunday morning, 30th August at Shelley Beach for a tiny, clean, glassy session. For the bigger stuff, Thursday the 10th of September has the size and power, but it's a beast for experts only and the wind is rubbish. Don't hold your breath for the rest of it.

Rusty.

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