Surf Forecasts:
Shelley Beach surf forecast from 21 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 25 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 7s period, NE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 25 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 7s period, NE swell with 408 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 24 Aug, 7AM (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 Monday (Aug 24) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 8s. 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 2.1m 7s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 5s period and expected on Monday (Aug 24) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Tue 25th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Tue 25th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Shelley Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day surfers, Rusty here. We’ve got a bit of a lean run ahead at Shelley Beach. The next week-and-a-half is mostly small, messy, or just plain ordinary, so you’ll need to be patient. The good news is there’s a couple of genuine highlights popping up right at the end of the window, but they’re a long way off.
We start off this Friday the 21st with only 2ft of weak, short-period ENE swell and a 20 km/h NW wind. It’s poor, not worth a paddle. Saturday the 22nd drops even smaller—1ft—with only light winds, but no real energy. Sunday the 23rd sees a bump to 4ft from the south with a 10-second period, but the wind is cross-shore and conditions are only marginal. The combined energy is moderate though, sitting at 353. Still, it’s not clean enough.
Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th stay small and average, with a little more swell early Tuesday—4ft from the NE—but wind stays cross-off, keeping things clean but weak. Honestly, nothing to get excited about. Wednesday the 26th is a write-off, and Thursday the 27th offers a tiny glimmer: a glassy morning with 3ft of ENE swell and 8-second period. The wind is glass, dead calm, so it’s clean, but the wave quality is only ‘surfable’ at best. Still, if you’re desperate, that might be your only window.
Friday the 28th through to Sunday the 30th is a mix of small, choppy, and onshore—pretty much a flat spell. The combined energy drops as low as 75 on the 30th. Then things finally get interesting.
Monday the 31st of August is the first real standout. The morning glass-off is clean with a cross-off NNE breeze at only 5 km/h. Swell comes from the south at 2ft, but the period is a very long 17 seconds—proper groundswell. The combined energy jumps to 470, which is moderate-to-strong. That long period means the waves will have real push and shape for a small swell, but at a beach break it might wrap a little straight. Still, that’s a solid morning and one of the best on offer.
Tuesday the 1st of September follows up with another clean morning. WSW breeze at 5 km/h, glassy conditions. Swell is 3ft from the south with an 11-second period and combined energy of 209. Not huge, but clean and consistent enough for a fun session. The afternoons both days get ruined by onshore wind, so mornings are key.
After that, Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd are back to small and ordinary, with a glassy Thursday morning but only 2ft of E swell. Friday the 4th has a long-period SSE swell (18 seconds) but only 1ft—just not enough to work with. Saturday the 5th ends the run with 3ft from the south, clean but weak.
Water temp is about 64°F, which is 1°F cooler than normal—nothing unusual for the time of year.
So to wrap it up: the real standout is Monday the 31st of August morning—clean, good energy, long-period south swell. Tuesday the 1st of September morning is also solid. The rest of the window is either too small or too messy to bother with. If you’re keen, keep an eye on that Monday.
Stay salty,
Rusty
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Sat night. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri afternoon, min 13°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 23°C on Tue morning, min 15°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNE on Mon afternoon, calm by Thu morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | ||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | S 8 | SE 4 | S 10 | S 14 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | NE 6 | NE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
26 | 9 | 6 | 12 | 9 | 319 | 187 | 206 | 125 | 92 | 111 | 89 | 110 | 193 | 126 | 93 | 87 | 96 | 131 | 111 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross | on | on | glassy | cross-on | off |
High Tide | 3:41AM0.86m | 4:00PM1.29m | 4:54AM0.89m | 4:58PM1.35m | 5:47AM0.94m | 5:46PM1.42m | 6:29AM1.01m | 6:27PM1.49m | 7:06AM1.09m | 7:04PM1.54m | 7:41AM1.17m | 7:40PM1.57m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:05PM0.51m | 8:59AM0.56m | 11:09PM0.46m | 10:09AM0.54m | 11:58PM0.39m | 11:07AM0.50m | 00:37AM0.32m | 11:56AM0.43m | 1:11AM0.24m | 12:39PM0.37m | 1:43AM0.18m | 1:19PM0.32m | 2:14AM0.13m | |||||||
— | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | |
5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 23 | 22 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 |
Feels °C | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | S 10 | S 8 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | S 9 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 |
26 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 319 | 137 | 206 | 125 | 92 | 70 | 38 | 25 | 193 | 126 | 93 | 87 | 96 | 131 | 111 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | S 10 | S 6 | S 8 | S 6 | NE 6 | S 14 | ENE 8 | NE 5 | S 17 | S 10 | S 9 | S 16 | S 9 | S 8 | S 11 | S 11 | S 5 | S 6 | S 6 |
2 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 187 | 7 | 23 | 22 | 64 | 41 | 19 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 20 | 27 | 24 | 18 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | SE 8 | S 9 | S 6 | NE 8 | S 18 | E 14 | E 14 | ENE 8 | E 13 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | S 11 | S 17 | S 15 | S 14 | — | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 |
2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 25 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 21 | 10 | 23 | 18 | 4 | — | 17 | 17 | 14 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 2 | NW 3 | WNW 3 | — | SE 4 | — | ENE 9 | ENE 4 | NE 5 | ENE 5 | NE 6 | NE 6 | ENE 7 | — | NNW 2 | — | S 4 | — | — | NNE 3 |
1 | 1 | 1 | — | 9 | — | 16 | 10 | 43 | 44 | 111 | 89 | 110 | — | 1 | — | 13 | — | — | 6 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 34 | 145 | 219 | 335 | 99 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 0 | 232 | 0 | 26 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 131 | 11 | 0 | 216 | 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.











