Shark Island (Cronulla) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's have a look at what's coming up for Shark Island (Cronulla) over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it's a bit of a slow burn to start. The first week or so is pretty underwhelming, with a lot of small, weak swells and not much energy behind them. The water temp is sitting at 62°, which is a bit colder than we're used to for this time of year, so you'll want a decent steamer.

The first real glimmer of something decent shows up on Thursday the 6th of August. Early morning you've got a clean 2ft S swell, but it's only packing moderate energy (81) and the period is short at 8 seconds. It's surfable, but nothing to write home about. Friday the 7th is similar, with a clean 3ft S swell, slightly better energy (148) and a 9-second period, which is a bit more push. Still, it's just ordinary conditions.

We then hit a real dry spell. From Saturday the 8th right through to Thursday the 13th, it's a lot of tiny, messy, or onshore junk. There's a few clean moments, like Tuesday the 11th morning with a 3ft S swell and 136 energy, but it's nothing special. The wind is all over the place, often killing it.

Now, here's where it gets interesting. The standout window is from Friday the 14th of August. Friday morning, a solid 10ft S swell rolls in, with a huge energy reading of 2057 – that's a powerful, strong swell. The period is 9 seconds, so it's a bit of a groundswell but not super long. The wind is a gentle cross-shore from the NNW, which will bring some chop. This is a big, powerful swell – over 8ft, so this is expert territory only. It's going to be a beast and not for the faint-hearted. The crowd situation at Shark Island can be an issue as it's sometimes busy, so expect a crew for this one.

The weekend after that, Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th, still has some size. Saturday morning offers a clean 5ft S swell (392 energy) with a moderate offshore wind from the WSW. That's a much better, cleaner option for strong intermediate to advanced surfers. The period is only 8 seconds, so it's a bit peaky and less organised. Sunday morning has a similar 4ft S swell with a clean offshore, but it's dropping.

The rest of the second week, Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th, drops back into ordinary, small surf.

So, the pick of the bunch is the Friday the 14th morning for the sheer power, but only if you're experienced. If you want something a bit more manageable but still clean, Saturday the 15th morning is your best bet. There's a long gap of average to poor surf before that, so don't get your hopes up for the first week.

Rusty.

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