Surf Forecasts:
Shelley Beach surf forecast from 12 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 16 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period, S swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 16 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 10s period, S swell with 2,971 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 13 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 10s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Shelley Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Shelley Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 13) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 20s. Another secondary swell of 0.8m and 5s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Shelley Beach in the next 16 days are 4.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 13) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Wed 16th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Wed 16th Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Shelley Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, let's have a look at what's cookin' for Shelley Beach.
Honestly, the next two weeks are a real mixed plate. There’s some sweet windows, but you gotta be patient. Water temp is sittin' around 64°, just a hair below normal for this time of year, nothing dramatic.
Your first proper chance for a clean slide is Monday morning, September 14th. Shelley will have small, clean 2 ft surf from the south. Wind is light and cross-offshore, keeping things tidy. Not big, but with the energy reading at 239, it’s got a little bit of juice and the conditions will be glassy.
You'll want to circle Friday morning, September 18th on your calendar. The swell is up a tad to 4 ft from the south, and the wind is gonna be almost nothing, a slight air from the north-northeast, givin' you clean, cross-off waves. Energy is solid at 279, and it's just gonna feel right.
Then, if you can hold out, the weekend of the 19th and 20th offers a few more clean windows, but the swell drops off hard. Saturday morning, September 19th, is an absolute sleeper with a glassy 3 ft wave from the east-southeast, and the energy reading is a punchy 425. It's true long-period groundswell at 11 seconds, meaning longer lulls but better-shaped waves when they come. Wind is dead off the land.
After that, it gets real ordinary. There's a gap of a few days with nothin' worth mentionin' until Friday morning, September 25th, when a small 4 ft bump from the northeast shows up. Wind is light and cross-off, making it surfable, but the period is a short 6 seconds, so it'll be a bit lumpy and fat.
The big story is that heavy swell on the 16th and 17th. Wednesday the 16th we see a 10 ft to 12 ft south swell, but it's gettin' slammed by a howlin' 22-25 mph cross-onshore wind. The energy readings are a massive 1341 to 2339, but the wind will wreck it. That's kite-surfing territory, not paddle. By Thursday the 17th, the swell is still a heavy 10 ft with messy winds, so still too big and blown for a safe paddle.
Signin' off, Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Mon morning, min 13°C on Sat night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue afternoon, min 10°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSW on Wed morning, light winds from the NNE by Fri morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 | S 10 | NE 6 | S 11 | S 11 | NE 6 | ENE 7 | NE 7 | S 7 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | S 8 | S 8 | ESE 10 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 238 | 148 | 113 | 141 | 167 | 121 | 83 | 141 | 41 | 26 | 554 | 1331 | 2324 | 2539 | 1382 | 878 | 457 | 161 | 105 | 223 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:54PM1.50m | 9:21AM1.49m | 9:34PM1.38m | 9:57AM1.49m | 10:13PM1.25m | 10:34AM1.46m | 10:54PM1.12m | 11:13AM1.40m | 11:39PM1.01m | 11:59AM1.34m | 00:34AM0.92m | 12:55PM1.27m | 1:48AM0.86m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:07AM0.11m | 3:31PM0.19m | 3:39AM0.19m | 4:15PM0.24m | 4:10AM0.28m | 5:01PM0.31m | 4:42AM0.37m | 5:51PM0.39m | 5:18AM0.46m | 6:50PM0.46m | 6:02AM0.54m | 8:03PM0.50m | ||||||||
 |  | |  |  | | | | | |  | |  |  | |  | | | | | |
 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — |
 | 5:43 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | 3 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 16 |
Feels °C | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 20 | 21 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 | S 10 | ENE 6 | S 11 | S 11 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NE 12 | ENE 12 | ENE 13 | E 13 | E 13 | SSE 8 | S 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 10 |
| kJ | 238 | 148 | 113 | 141 | 80 | 121 | 83 | 69 | 41 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 457 | 161 | 104 | 223 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 19 | SSE 20 | ENE 5 | E 13 | S 10 | ENE 6 | E 13 | SSE 10 | S 10 | S 9 | E 14 | E 15 | — | — | S 19 | S 19 | E 13 | ESE 7 | S 8 | S 9 |
| kJ | 117 | 129 | 14 | 13 | 100 | 33 | 12 | 33 | 16 | 14 | 4 | 4 | — | — | 7 | 7 | 3 | 111 | 105 | 99 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 14 | E 13 | SSE 17 | ENE 13 | E 13 | E 13 | — | E 12 | E 13 | E 13 | S 17 | — | — | — | — | S 19 | E 13 | S 18 | E 10 | SSE 18 |
| kJ | 15 | 13 | 59 | 17 | 13 | 13 | — | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 3 | 7 | 49 | 103 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 3 | ENE 5 | NE 5 | ENE 5 | NE 6 | NE 6 | ENE 5 | NE 6 | SW 4 | SSE 5 | S 7 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | — | — | ENE 3 | NNE 4 |
| kJ | 5 | 28 | 19 | 44 | 167 | 72 | 34 | 141 | 3 | 26 | 554 | 1331 | 2324 | 2539 | 1382 | 878 | — | — | 4 | 9 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 26 | 0 | 8 | 556 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 11 | 166 | 158 | 791 | 777 | 238 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 83 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Newcastle | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Shelley Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Shelley Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Shelley Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Shelley Beach surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Shelley Beach) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Shelley Beach may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a holiday in Newcastle? If you are looking for accommodation near Shelley Beach, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Newcastle, consider staying in Central Coast which is 20 km (12 miles) away. Other places in and around Newcastle where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Catherine Hill Bay which is 24 km (15 miles) away, Dee Why, Newcastle and Hornsby.
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