Shark Island (Cronulla) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Got to level with you – the next week or so is looking pretty grim for Shark Island (Cronulla). It’s a real slow start, with nothing worth paddling out for. The water’s sitting at 61°, which is a bit cooler than we’d usually expect for this time of year.

The first few days are a write-off. Sunday the 9th is small with weak, choppy cross-on wind, and Monday the 10th gets messy with strong cross-shore wind and a chunky 6ft swell that’s all chop. Not even worth a look.

Tuesday morning the 11th stays tiny at 2ft, but the wind swings offshore. It’s clean, but there’s just no oomph. Then Tuesday afternoon things get interesting – the wind goes glassy, the swell bumps to 3ft from the south with an 11-second period and combined energy of 228, which is moderate. It’s surfable, but ordinary.

Wednesday the 12th stays clean with gentle offshore winds, but the swell drops back to 2ft. Nice to look at, but you’ll be fighting for scraps.

Now, Thursday the 13th is where it finally turns on. Morning has a clean 5ft south swell with a short 8-second period and combined energy of 379. The wind is a light offshore from the SSW, so it’ll be clean and punchy. This is the first real standout – the set waves will have some push, and it’s an advanced reef break, so only for those who know what they’re doing. Afternoon sees the swell jump to 6ft, but the wind turns cross-off and it gets a bit messier, though still clean overall.

Friday the 14th drops back to a modest 4ft with a short period. It’s clean in the morning, but nothing special.

Then we hit a stretch of poor conditions from Saturday the 15th right through to Monday the 17th. On Sunday the 16th there’s a weird 1ft swell with an 18-second period coming from the SSE – that’s a very long period groundswell, combined energy only 133, so it’s weak. With a cross-onshore wind, it won’t do anything good here.

Tuesday the 18th is another highlight. Morning brings a 5ft swell from the ESE with a 10-second period and solid combined energy of 512. Light cross-off wind, clean conditions. This one has real grunt, and the direction matches the optimum for this break. It’s a good call for experienced surfers.

Wednesday the 19th morning is also worth a mention – 5ft from the ESE again, 10-second period, combined energy of 432, glassy with near-still air. Clean and punchy.

The real standout, and the best of the whole outlook, is Saturday the 22nd. Morning has a 7ft swell from the NE with a short 7-second period, but the combined energy is 707, which is strong. The wind is a gentle cross-off from the south, keeping it clean. That’s a lot of power, so this is strictly for experts. Afternoon is still good at 6ft with clean conditions.

Sunday the 23rd morning goes glassy again with a 4ft ENE swell – nice for an easy session, but not a stand out.

Overall, the picks are Thursday the 13th morning, Tuesday the 18th morning, and Saturday the 22nd morning. The 22nd is the one with the most size and energy, but it’s only for the brave. Crowds can pop up here sometimes, so get in early.

Rusty.

Read more