
Surf Forecasts:
Shelley Beach surf forecast from 7 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 9 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 10s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 8 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 10s period, SE swell with 1,351 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 9 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 10s period with SE 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 Thursday (Jul 09) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.1m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 11s. 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 2.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 08) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 12) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Thu 9th Jul) | 7ft (2.1m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Thu 9th Jul) | 7ft (2.1m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Wed 8th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Shelley Beach over the next 16 days.
G'day, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's comin' down the line for Shelley Beach.
Alright, we're in for a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks. The early days are gonna be a write-off, to be honest, with some pretty rough conditions. But there are a couple of solid pulses on the horizon that'll get the blood pumping, especially for the experienced crew.
We kick off on Wednesday the 8th of July, but it's not worth paddling out. We've got a sizeable 8ft SE swell rollin' in, but that strong cross-onshore wind is gonna chop it all up. The energy's there, with a combined swell energy of 1604 (moderate to strong), but the surface will be a mess.
Thursday the 9th of July sees the swell drop to 6ft from the SE, and we finally get a break in the wind. A light cross-offshore breeze in the morning will clean things up nicely. This is the first window of decent surf for the week.
Friday and Saturday are all about clean, smaller waves. Friday morning gives us 5ft from the SE with clean conditions, and Saturday is the pick of the first week. Saturday the 11th of July, we get a beautiful 4ft SE swell with a light offshore wind from the NW. It'll be clean and glassy, perfect for a long session on a longboard. Saturday afternoon the swell drops to 3ft from the ESE but stays clean with a moderate offshore breeze.
From Sunday the 12th of July through to Friday the 17th of July, we hit a proper flat spell. The swell drops right off, and even when it tries to pick up again mid-week, the wind is howling, making a mess of things. It's a good time to wax the boards and wait.
Now, here's where it gets interesting. After that quiet stretch, we're lookin' at a serious run of swell. Sunday the 19th of July, the surf comes back to life. We're lookin' at a 5ft swell from the S with light, clean conditions and a light cross-offshore breeze. The combined swell energy is strong at 640.
But the real standout is Monday the 20th of July. This is the one to circle on the calendar. We've got a 7ft swell from the ESE with an 11-second period, that's a proper groundswell. The wind is a clean, moderate offshore from the NW. This is big, powerful, and clean – perfect for the experienced surfers out there. The wave energy is strong at 1555. Just a heads up, with that size and longer period, it could be a bit much for beginners, and it'll be best on the points or reefs as the beach might get a bit straight.
After that, the swell stays solid through Tuesday the 21st of July, hitting 8ft from the ESE again, but the wind gets stronger, so it'll be a bit messier. We start to see the swell from the S come in around Thursday the 23rd of July, and by Thursday afternoon, it's predicted to be a massive 10ft from the S with a very long 13-second period. The wave energy is through the roof at 3639. By that point, it's likely just for the experts, and the wind turns cross, so it's going to be a wild, challenging day out there. The best of the best will be Monday the 20th.
Stay patient, catch those clean ones, and I'll see you in the water.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Wed night. Very mild (max 16°C on Wed afternoon, min 11°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat morning, min 9°C on Sun night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 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) | SE 10 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | S 10 | S 7 | S 7 | S 8 | S 10 | S 7 | S 19 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1351 | 1227 | 846 | 602 | 614 | 405 | 335 | 450 | 314 | 172 | 173 | 176 | 88 | 37 | 30 | 38 | 27 | 33 | 18 | 9 | 27 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 2:29PM1.33m | 2:25AM1.12m | 3:27PM1.43m | 3:41AM1.07m | 4:26PM1.53m | 4:57AM1.05m | 5:23PM1.64m | 6:06AM1.07m | 6:19PM1.74m | 7:08AM1.11m | 7:13PM1.82m | 8:03AM1.14m | 8:04PM1.86m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:44PM0.49m | 8:39AM0.27m | 10:00PM0.41m | 9:38AM0.30m | 11:11PM0.30m | 10:38AM0.30m | 00:15AM0.17m | 11:38AM0.29m | 1:13AM0.06m | 12:36PM0.26m | 2:06AM-0.02m | 1:30PM0.24m | 2:56AM-0.06m | ||||||||
6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | |
— | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:02 | — | |
mm | 2 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 17 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 13 |
Feels °C | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 13 | 6 | 13 | 15 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 | S 8 | S 7 | S 7 | S 5 |
1351 | 1227 | 846 | 602 | 614 | 405 | 335 | 450 | 314 | 172 | 112 | 176 | 88 | 37 | 24 | 38 | 27 | 33 | 9 | 9 | 4 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 14 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SE 13 | SE 12 | S 21 | ESE 14 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | S 10 | ESE 8 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 19 |
253 | 335 | 294 | 173 | 38 | 61 | 148 | 9 | 40 | 169 | 173 | 26 | 13 | 6 | 30 | 7 | 23 | 10 | 18 | 7 | 27 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | S 20 | S 18 | S 17 | — | S 19 | S 14 | S 16 | S 15 | S 15 | S 15 | S 16 | — | ESE 9 | S 12 | SE 8 | E 8 | E 10 | S 19 | S 10 |
— | — | 8 | 6 | 6 | — | 7 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | — | 16 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 2 | NW 3 | WSW 4 | WSW 4 | W 3 | WNW 3 | — | WNW 3 | WNW 3 | — | WNW 2 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 9 | 20 | 20 | 5 | 1 | — | 3 | 3 | — | 1 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 9 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 54 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 94 | 8 | 22 |
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.










