Shark Island (Cronulla) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, this is Rusty. Let’s see what’s on the cards for Shark Island (Cronulla) over the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a slow start, but there’s some proper grunt on the horizon.

The first few days are pretty flat and ordinary. The water temp is 62°, which is a touch cooler than usual for this time of year – nothin’ drastic, but you’ll feel that slight chill.

We’ve got a stretch of poor surf until the 24th of July, with only tiny, weak waves. Thursday the 23rd is a write-off – small cross-off slop, hardly worth paddling out. Friday morning the 24th shows a bit of life: a 5ft south swell, clean with a gentle offshore wind from the WSW, but the combined energy is only moderate (438). It’s a start, but nothin’ to get excited about.

Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th see the south swell hangin’ around at 5ft, with periods stretching to 11 seconds on the Sunday morning – that’s proper groundswell, which Reef breaks like Shark Island will love. Winds are cross-off and clean, and the energy is solid (539 on Saturday morning, 532 on Sunday morning). These are the sessions to lock in. The Sunday morning is the pick of the first week: clean, punchy, and that south swell will be lining up nicely. It’s a fairly consistent wave here, but it can get crowded sometimes, so get in early.

After that, the swell drops right off from Monday the 27th through to the end of the month. Tiny, weak waves, and nothin’ worth a mention. There’s a big gap of several days with no real surf.

Then, on the 30th of July, it gets interesting. Thursday morning brings an 8ft south swell, but the wind is howlin’ at 16 mph cross-off – it’s gonna be big and heavy, combined energy is a massive 1166 (strong). That’s expert territory, and with the wind, it could be a bit of a battle. Thursday afternoon, the swell jumps to 12ft with a fresh offshore wind from the SW, and the energy is off the charts at 2811. That’s a serious, powerful groundswell. This is only for the experienced crew – the wave will be thick and fast, and paddling out will be a mission.

The 31st of July is a write-off: heavy rain, howling winds, and a messy 10ft swell. Not worth it.

The standout window is the 1st of August. Saturday morning has a 7ft south swell, solid offshore wind from the SW, and a combined energy of 1400. That’s strong, clean, and powerful. Saturday afternoon drops to a much more manageable 6ft with gentle offshore breezes – this is the best of the whole run. The wave quality will be there, the wind is perfect, and it’s a reef break so it’ll hold that long-period energy. It’ll be a bit of a paddle, but the sets will be worth it.

After that, it fades out again. The 2nd of August is okay but ordinary, and from the 3rd onward it’s back to small, weak surf. The 7th of August morning has a clean 3ft ESE swell with moderate offshore wind, but the energy is only moderate (275). It’s a nice little session but nothin’ compared to the start of August.

So, if you’re keen, aim for the 26th of July morning and the 1st of August afternoon. The 1st of August is the standout – the whole package. For the brave, the 30th of July afternoon is big and heavy, but only for the pros.

Rusty.

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