Abstract As an introductory step, this paper defines continental shelves and briefly discusses their origin and evolution. Most of the paper is concerned with the large-scale tidal and storm-driven fluid circulation patterns of the continental shelves and the manner in which these flows entrain and move sediment. It is essential to understand these circulation patterns in order to understand the distribution of facies on continental shelves. However, oceanic currents on a rotating planet are complex and their pattern is not intuitively obvious. Therefore, a considerable portion of the chapter is devoted to an analysis of the mechanisms of shelf flow, and the importance of these mechanisms in determining shelf sediment transport. Storm-driven and tidal currents are considered in turn. The shoreface and inner shelf together constitute a gateway through which all shelf sediments must pass, and the complex flows of the shoreface and inner shelf are described in detail. Finally, fluid and sediment dynamics at the shelf edge are reviewed.