Shark Island (Cronulla) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a yarn about what’s coming up for Shark Island at Cronulla. It’s a reef setup, so it handles a good swell, but you gotta know what you’re doing out there.

Right off the bat, this week is a bit of a mixed bag. The water temp is sitting at 65°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so nothing wild there.

The first real chance for a wave comes up on the morning of Saturday, July 4th. We’ve got a clean 4ft swell out of the south with a 12-second period, and a light westerly cross-offshore breeze. It’s small and the overall energy is weak (333), so it’s just a little something to get wet on, but don’t expect much. The afternoon turns to junk with a cross-shore wind, so that morning window is your only shot that day.

Sunday the 5th is where things get serious. A big pulse of 10ft south swell hits in the morning with a solid 11-second period and a strong 30 km/h SSW offshore wind. That’s a clean, powerful amount of energy (2027) – definitely one for the advanced crew only. It stays strong through the afternoon at 8ft, but the wind swings cross-off and gets a bit messier. Monday and Tuesday are big too, with 8ft to 10ft south-southeast swell, but the wind is mostly cross-off and the energy is still significant (1133-3008). Keep in mind this is a fairly exposed reef, and with that much size, it’s expert territory.

Now, the standout window. Wednesday morning, July 8th, is calling my name. 10ft of south-southeast swell, a 10-second period, and a clean 25 km/h SSW offshore wind. The energy is pumping (2358) and the report says excellent conditions for experienced surfers. That’s the morning to be out there. The offshore wind will have the reef lines groomed. Just know the crowds are possible at this spot.

The rest of that week stays solid but messy with cross-off winds until Friday morning, July 10th. That morning looks sweet: 7ft from the southeast, 11-second period, and a light 10 km/h south wind. The energy is still moderate (1051) and it should be clean. After that, it drops off quickly.

We hit a proper dry spell from Saturday the 11th all the way through to Friday the 17th. The swell gets tiny, 0.7ft to 5ft, with poor conditions and onshore or cross-shore winds. Not worth paddling out.

But then, hang on. Saturday afternoon, July 18th, a new pulse shows up. 12ft from the south with a 9-second period and a gentle offshore breeze from the WSW. That’s excellent, heavy surf for the experienced lot. And then the real beauty: Sunday morning, July 19th. A massive 15ft south swell rolling in with an 11-second period, clean and offshore from the WNW. The energy reading is massive (5118). That is a serious, powerful groundswell. For a reef like Shark Island, that’s going to be a proper, heavy, expert-only day. The afternoon stays big at 13ft, but the wind picks up to 30 km/h, making it feel raw and challenging.

Overall, for the paddler, the two best bets are Wednesday morning, July 8th, for solid, clean, offshore conditions, and that very long-range Sunday morning, July 19th, for the biggest, cleanest swell of the forecast. That one is promising but a long way out, so keep an eye on it.

Stay safe, and don’t be a hero on the big days.

Rusty.

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