Shark Island (Cronulla) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Shark Island (Cronulla) over the next couple of weeks.

The first suggestion of a surf comes in Thursday morning, 13 August. The water’s sitting at 61°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year – you’ll want that extra mil.

Thursday morning sees a clean 3ft S swell at 9 seconds, pushed along by a light offshore breeze out of the SW. The combined energy is moderate at best (189), so it’s very average. It’s rideable, but nothing to write home about. The afternoon goes downhill quick as the wind swings SE and goes onshore, making a mess of things.

Friday 14 August starts off alright with a clean, small 4ft S swell (period 8 seconds) and a light W cross-offshore breeze. The energy is still moderate (206), but it’s only just surfable and not really worth getting excited about. Saturday morning the 15th offers up a similar story: 4ft out of the SSE with a cross-off breeze, but it’s got rain around and the score is marginal. The afternoon gets a bit bigger at 5ft but with a 7-second period and strong S wind making it messy.

From Saturday afternoon right through until Wednesday 26 August, it’s a grim stretch. There are small, weak, and wind-affected swells with poor conditions. You’re looking at a solid 11-day gap of real junk. The energy readings drop into double digits or barely crack triple digits – weak stuff. Winds are consistently cross or onshore, or the swell is simply too short-period and weak to offer anything decent.

The only real standout light at the end of the tunnel comes on Thursday 27 August morning. For the experts out there, a 5ft S swell is pumping in with a 10-second period. The combined energy is strong at 556, and you’ve got a strong offshore breeze from the SSW (25 mph). The catch is that this wind is so strong it’s going to be difficult to paddle into. The following day, Friday 28 August morning, is possibly the best on offer: a 6ft S swell with a very long 12-second period, churning out a strong energy reading of 858. The SSE wind at 25 mph is cross-offshore, keeping it clean, but again, that wind strength will make paddling a chore. This is for the experienced crew only.

So, overall, for the first week and a half, the surf is pretty flat or junk. The best chance for a proper wave is that late-week window on 27 and 28 August, but with those strong winds, it’s a session for the specialists who can handle a battle. The crowd profile shows Shark Island can get busy sometimes, but given the conditions, you might have it to yourself on these days.

That’s the long and short of it.

Rusty.

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