Shark Island (Cronulla) Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.06° S 151.16° E

Shark Island (Cronulla) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 3 pm 16 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Shark Island (Cronulla) sea temperature is
16.6° C
1.1° 

Shark Island (Cronulla) surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Shark Island (Cronulla) surf forecast from 16 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Sunday 19 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 11s period, ENE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 11s period, ENE swell with 619 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 17 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 6s period with SSE swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Shark Island (Cronulla) this week:

The surf forecast for Shark Island (Cronulla) over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 17) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.2m and 19s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Shark Island (Cronulla) in the next 16 days are 1.7m 11s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 6s period and expected on Friday (Jul 17) at 10AM.

Wave TypeTime (AEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 7AM (Fri 17th Jul)4.5ft (1.3m) 6s
Best Surf 1PM (Sun 19th Jul)5.5ft (1.7m) 11s
Most Powerful 1PM (Sun 19th Jul)5.5ft (1.7m) 11s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Shark Island (Cronulla) over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a yarn about what’s coming up for Shark Island (Cronulla). It’s a reef setup, pretty exposed, and it likes the SE swell best – but the next couple of weeks are all over the shop, so we gotta pick our moments.

First up, the water temp is sitting at 62.1°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year – so you’ll be wanting a decent steamer.

Right now, there’s nothing doing. We’ve got a gap from Thursday 16 July right through to Sunday morning 19 July with no surf worth paddling out for. It’s a slow start.

Come Sunday 19 July morning, we finally get a pulse. There’s a 5.2ft swell from the ENE with a 10-second period and a light S breeze keeping it cross-off. The combined energy is moderate at 612, and conditions are clean. It’s not huge, but it’s a start. The crowd factor is “sometimes” at this break, so you might have a few out. Sunday afternoon stays similar at 5.6ft ENE, but the wind swings cross-shore – still light, but a little chop creeps in.

Monday 20 July is marginal at best – 5.2ft ENE in the morning with a NW cross breeze, then the afternoon gets messy with a NE onshore. Not worth chasing.

Tuesday 21 July morning is where it gets interesting. The wind drops to just 3 mph from the WNW, swinging cross-off, and you’ve got a clean 4.3ft ENE swell at 10 seconds. The energy sits at 358 – moderate but nicely shaped. That early session will be glassy and uncrowded if you’re keen. The period is under 11 seconds, so it’s not a proper groundswell, but on a reef like Shark Island it’ll hold up fine. Afternoon goes cross-on, so make it a sunrise mission.

Wednesday 22 July morning is surfable but pretty ordinary – 3.6ft ENE, clean cross-off, but just lacking that punch. Then we hit another dry spell: Thursday 23 July and Friday 24 July morning are small and weak, with swell dropping to 2.6ft and energy under 120.

Now, the standout. Friday 24 July afternoon – this is the one to circle. We get a 6.9ft S swell with a 10-second period, the wind goes offshore from the SW at just 3 mph, and the combined energy jumps to 1583 – that’s strong. The water’s clean, the reef will handle it, and for experienced surfers this is excellent. 6.9ft is solid – not for beginners – and it’s a groundswell from the south, which is close to the optimum SE direction. This is the best on offer, no doubt.

Saturday 25 July morning still has 5.2ft from the S with offshore SW wind at 16 mph, but the breeze is stronger and the energy drops to 595 – it’s a bit wind-affected and marginal. Afternoon gets blown out with a 22 mph southerly.

From there, the second week is patchy. Sunday 26 July through Monday 27 July are small and average – 3ft to 4.9ft, mostly cross or onshore winds. Tuesday 28 July has some clean offshore wind in the afternoon but only 3.9ft – worth a look if you’re desperate. Wednesday 29 July morning has 5.6ft S swell at 9 seconds with a cross-off, but the wind is 16 mph – a bit lumpy. Thursday 30 July morning is the pick of that later week: 5.2ft S swell with a gentle offshore from the SSW, clean, and 465 energy. Not a standout, but a good solid session.

Friday 31 July brings more 5.9ft S swell but the period drops to 8 seconds and the wind is cross-shore – surfable but not special.

To sum it up: the one and only true standout is Friday 24 July afternoon. That’s the session for the advanced crew. The rest is a mix of small, average, or too windy. Get out on Tuesday 21 July morning for a clean glassy paddle, and maybe Thursday 30 July morning for a decent S swell with offshore love. The rest of the 16 days is mostly quiet or blown out.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Thu night. Very mild (max 17°C on Sat night, min 14°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Thu afternoon, light winds from the S by Fri night).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed morning, min 11°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Thu
16
Friday
17
Saturday
18
Sunday
19
Monday
20
Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
2
2
3
1
0
1
2
1
1
1
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
2.2
S
7
1.6
SSE
7
0.6
E
6
0.7
E
7
0.8
E
7
0.7
S
10
0.9
E
7
1.1
E
8
1.6
ENE
10
1.7
ENE
11
1.6
ENE
10
1.6
ENE
10
1.5
ENE
10
1.5
ENE
10
1.3
ENE
10
1.3
ENE
10
1.1
ENE
10
1.1
ENE
9
1
ENE
9
0.9
ENE
9
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
537
212
22
53
67
90
79
149
501
619
566
482
416
425
314
307
214
201
168
136
Wind (km/h)
35
S
20
SSE
15
S
15
S
10
S
20
SSE
15
SSE
15
SSE
10
S
10
SE
10
WNW
15
NW
20
NE
15
NW
5
WNW
10
ENE
10
NW
10
WNW
15
NNE
10
WNW
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross
on
cross
cross-off
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
on
cross-off
High Tide
9:48PM1.77m
10:40AM1.24m
10:36PM1.66m
11:28AM1.26m
11:23PM1.50m
12:16PM1.27m
00:11AM1.33m
1:05PM1.28m
1:02AM1.17m
1:57PM1.29m
1:59AM1.03m
2:51PM1.30m
3:05AM0.94m
Low Tide
4:34AM-0.02m
4:15PM0.29m
5:17AM0.05m
5:09PM0.34m
5:58AM0.14m
6:07PM0.41m
6:38AM0.23m
7:10PM0.47m
7:19AM0.32m
8:19PM0.51m
8:02AM0.41m
9:32PM0.51m
part cloud
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:58
6:56
6:56
6:56
6:56
6:54
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:04
5:04
5:05
5:06
5:06
5:07
5:07
 mm
9
2
2
2
Temp °C
16
15
15
16
15
16
16
17
15
15
14
15
15
14
14
15
14
19
19
16
Feels °C
10
10
12
14
14
13
13
14
13
13
13
12
12
12
13
14
12
16
15
14
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Information about the Shark Island (Cronulla) Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Shark Island (Cronulla) provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Shark Island (Cronulla) can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Shark Island (Cronulla) surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Shark Island (Cronulla)) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).

Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Shark Island (Cronulla) may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.

Shark Island (Cronulla) is 2 km (1 miles) from Cronulla. If you plan a holiday in Sydney South Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in Cronulla. Cronulla has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

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