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Shelfs
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
14Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 6 ft swell at 7 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- N 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Wed 4 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 44kJ
- Wind
- WSW 9 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Thu 5 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 14kJ
- Wind
- SW 7 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 277kJ
- Wind
- SW 2 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 15kJ
- Wind
- S 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 131kJ
- Wind
- SSW 10 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Mon 9 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 234kJ
- Wind
- SSW 10 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 25, too small
- Tue 311, too small
- Wed 47, too small
- Thu 55, too small
- Fri 621, poor
- Sat 73, too small
- Sun 812, too small
- Mon 920, too small
- Tue 1045, fair
- Wed 1133, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–16 ftof swell
- Water 21 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Mar–Jun1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 5, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the north, 6 knots | 26°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 7, too small | 2 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 44kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 9 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 7 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 21, poor | 6 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 277kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 2 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | wind from the south, 2 knots | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 12, too small | 3 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 131kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 10 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 20, too small | 6 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 234kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 10 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 45, fair | 6 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 345kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 33, too small | 5 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 255kJ | wind from the north-east, 2 knots | 22°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovHigh 03:03 +0.3 mLow 08:29 −0.3 mHigh 15:02 +0.7 mLow 22:01 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:14 +0.3 mLow 09:52 −0.3 mHigh 16:11 +0.7 mLow 23:01 −0.6 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:16 +0.4 mLow 11:08 −0.4 mHigh 17:16 +0.6 mLow 23:52 −0.6 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Mar–Jun
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Shelfs on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Shelfs
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More surf near here
5 places
- Terrigal Haven 0.2 km away
- The Bend 0.6 km away
- South Pacific 0.9 km away
- The Ruins 1.1 km away
- North Avoca Back Reef 1.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Shelfs
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (69°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (249°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–16 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 31). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 18°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March, April, May and June, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Terrigal, 0.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 19 surf spots.
Water about 21°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,890–US$3,580 each
about US$1,890–US$3,580 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to SYD, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$925–US$1,920 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$147–US$241 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$355–US$596 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$322–US$596 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$141–US$234 |
| Total | about US$1,890–US$3,580 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
about 5 min by car · 27 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Terrigal its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in The Entrance on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 39 places to stay
- Beds in Norah Head on Booking.com
about 40 min by car · 13 places to stay
About US$134 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 28h 15m
About 28h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SYD, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 1h 25m by road
Flights MDW → SYD on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.