Surf Forecasts:
Shelley Beach surf forecast from 8 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 13 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 8s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 13 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 10s period, S swell with 627 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 9 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 8s period with E 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 (Aug 09) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 7s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 3s 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 1.7m 10s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 13) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 4s period and expected on Monday (Aug 10) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Sun 9th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Thu 13th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Thu 13th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Shelley Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s coming up at Shelley Beach.
Right off the bat, we’ve got a bit of a slow start, but things will pick up. The first real chance to get wet is Saturday morning, August 8th. It’s not going to be a classic, but with a glassy 2ft swell from the SSE and a period of 9 seconds, it’s clean enough for a longboard if you’re desperate. The combined energy is weak (100). The water is sitting at 64°F, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
The real standout window kicks off on Sunday, August 9th. The morning session is looking clean with a light cross-offshore breeze, and the swell bumps up a touch to 3ft from the ENE. But the afternoon is where it’s at: a clean 3ft from the ENE, with a gentle offshore wind from the NW making for some tidy lines. The combined energy is moderate (151). Crowds are possible here, so keep your eyes peeled.
Monday, August 10th, sees a big jump in size, but it comes with a trade-off. The morning brings a solid 6ft from the ENE, but it’s pumped up by a strong 37 km/h offshore wind. The energy is strong (498), but that wind is going to make it a battle to get out and hold your position. This is expert territory. The afternoon drops to 4ft, but the wind is still fresh at 43 km/h. It’s clean, but it’s a paddle workout.
The middle of the week, from Tuesday the 11th through Thursday the 13th, is a bit of a mixed bag. Tuesday sees a drop back to a small 2ft from the ENE, with clean conditions but weak energy. Wednesday is small again, but the swell shifts to the S with a longer 11-second period, giving a touch more push. By Thursday morning, the 13th, we get a punchy 7ft from the SSW at 8 seconds, with a cross-shore wind. The energy is strong (782), but the short period and cross-shore chop will make it messy. This one is for the experts only.
Friday, August 14th, is the other standout. The morning session is a beauty: a clean 4ft from the S with a 10-second period, light offshore winds, and moderate energy (303). This is the pick of the week for the intermediate crew. The afternoon is a bit chunkier at 5ft, but onshore winds mess it up.
The second week is a write-off. From Saturday the 15th onwards, the quality drops off fast. The swell tries to stick around, but the wind swings onshore and the energy fades. By the 16th, it’s a mess of rain and choppy cross-onshore slop. The 17th through the 23rd is a long stretch of tiny, weak, or blown-out surf. The combined energy dips into the double digits and low hundreds. Not worth paddling out for.
So, to sum it up: your best bets are Sunday afternoon, August 9th, for clean, fun waves, and Friday morning, August 14th, for the best combination of size and glassy conditions. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or too messy.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Sun morning, min 10°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat morning, fresh winds from the NNE by Sun night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Tue afternoon, min 11°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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 8 | S 8 | E 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 7 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 9 | S 11 | S 10 | SW 5 | SSW 8 | S 10 | S 8 | S 10 | S 9 | S 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 45 | 41 | 63 | 113 | 143 | 406 | 495 | 272 | 108 | 65 | 64 | 54 | 59 | 68 | 74 | 497 | 627 | 204 | 279 | 365 | 145 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 4:06PM1.52m | 4:56AM1.00m | 5:11PM1.61m | 6:03AM1.06m | 6:09PM1.71m | 6:59AM1.13m | 7:01PM1.78m | 7:49AM1.20m | 7:50PM1.80m | 8:34AM1.27m | 8:36PM1.76m | 9:17AM1.32m | 9:19PM1.68m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:05PM0.28m | 10:25AM0.38m | 00:08AM0.16m | 11:31AM0.33m | 1:02AM0.07m | 12:29PM0.27m | 1:49AM-0.00m | 1:22PM0.22m | 2:33AM-0.03m | 2:12PM0.20m | 3:13AM-0.02m | 3:01PM0.20m | 3:50AM0.03m | ||||||||
 | |  |  |  |  |  | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — |
 | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 13 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 |
Feels °C | 11 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 8 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | S 8 | E 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | S 9 | ENE 9 | S 10 | ENE 10 | S 8 | S 10 | S 8 | S 10 | S 9 | S 8 |
| kJ | 40 | 41 | 63 | 113 | 143 | 3 | 495 | 272 | 108 | 65 | 64 | 54 | 46 | 68 | 52 | 247 | 627 | 204 | 279 | 198 | 145 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | S 7 | NE 4 | SSE 8 | E 14 | S 13 | NNE 6 | E 13 | SSW 7 | S 6 | ENE 9 | S 11 | ENE 9 | S 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 |
| kJ | 45 | 30 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 45 | 59 | 50 | 24 | 30 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | E 8 | SSE 8 | S 6 | S 5 | S 13 | — | S 13 | S 12 | — | S 12 | S 12 | S 8 | — | — | S 20 | — | — | S 16 | S 19 | SSE 19 |
| kJ | 15 | 22 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 3 | — | 3 | 3 | — | 11 | 26 | 20 | — | — | 8 | — | — | 5 | 7 | 35 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 2 | — | NE 3 | NE 4 | N 3 | ENE 7 | NNW 4 | NW 4 | WNW 4 | WNW 3 | WNW 2 | WNW 3 | NW 3 | WNW 2 | SW 5 | SSW 8 | — | WSW 4 | — | S 9 | — |
| kJ | 1 | — | 4 | 14 | 3 | 406 | 25 | 32 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 74 | 497 | — | 18 | — | 365 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 296 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 403 | 107 | 128 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Newcastle | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
Latest Updates
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Shelley Beach surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest