Shelley Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – the next 16 days at Shelley Beach are a mixed bag, and we’ve got a bit of a slow start to work through. The first real action worth paddling out for doesn’t show up until Tuesday the 11th, so we’ve got a few days of small, ordinary waves to sit through before that.

Right now, from Wednesday the 5th through to Monday the 10th, it’s mostly small, weak, and messy. Swell sits around 1ft to 3ft, with periods under 10 seconds, and the combined energy is low – mostly between 38 and 154 (weak to moderate). The morning of Saturday the 8th is glassy with 1ft SSE swell, but it’s just too small to get excited about. The best of this early stretch is Sunday the 9th morning, with 3ft ENE swell, a 9-second period, and light cross-offshore winds, but even then, the energy is only 150 (moderate). It’s surfable, but nothing to write home about.

Then we get a spike. Tuesday the 11th is the standout. The swell jumps to 5ft from the south with a 10-second period, and the combined energy hits 439 (strong). The wind is light cross-offshore, keeping the surface clean. Both morning and afternoon sessions look good, with the afternoon holding 5ft and glassy conditions. This is the best run of the whole outlook – solid, clean waves, and the south swell direction lines up nicely with the optimum. Shelley Beach is exposed, so it’s taking it straight. Crowds are sometimes an issue here, so if you want a peak to yourself, you might have to share.

After that, the quality drops off. Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th see some size – up to 6ft on the Thursday morning – but the wind turns cross or onshore, and the period drops to 8 seconds. The energy is still strong (547 on Thursday morning), but the conditions are marginal, with a cross-chop and questionable tide. It’s more of a challenge than a treat.

The following week, from the 15th to the 20th, is a real grind. Swell hangs around 4ft to 6ft, mostly from the south or southeast, but the wind is almost always onshore or cross-onshore, with periods often under 10 seconds. Combined energy is moderate to strong (199 to 618), but it’s blown out and messy. The morning of the 20th is a brief bright spot: glassy conditions with 3ft SE swell and a 10-second period, giving clean, surfable waves. The energy is 253 (moderate), but it’s the only decent window in the second week.

Water temp is sitting at 64°F, which is about normal for this time of year – nothing unusual there.

Overall, if you’ve got a window, make it Tuesday the 11th. That’s the one. The rest is either small and weak or blown out. Don’t hold your breath for the second week.

Rusty.

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