Shark Island (Cronulla) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s cut through it: this stretch of coast is looking pretty starved for a while. The first real chance of anything decent doesn’t roll in until the morning of Sunday the 23rd, and even then it’s not a classic—but it’s the pick of a pretty ordinary lot. Before that, you’ve got a week of small, bumpy leftovers, mostly under 3 feet and stirred up. Not worth getting wet for, unless you just want to sit out there and watch the clouds.

Shark Island (Cronulla) – it’s a reef set-up, so it needs some size and the right direction. The water’s at 61°, which is a bit colder than usual for this time of year—about 3° off the long-term mark, so grab the thick wetsuit. The Sunday the 16th is a write-off: 5 feet of short-period slop from the southeast, cross-shore wind, and poor conditions. A zero on the rating says it all.

The tail end of that week sees some glassy moments—Tuesday the 18th morning has a light easterly and glassy surface—but there’s barely any energy: only about 3 feet of short-period swell. You might find a few grovelly ones, but it’s not worth the drive. Through to Friday the 21st, it stays tiny and mostly cross or onshore. The combined energy’s weak—numbers in the 60s and 80s (62–81) tell you there’s nothing behind it.

Then Saturday the 22nd afternoon gets interesting for a second: the swell jumps to 7 feet from the south, with a strong 35 km/h south wind and combined energy reading 474. But it’s raw and lumpy—the wind’s howling, the period’s only 7 seconds, and this beach-reef set-up is going to be a washing machine. Not a surf day; honestly, that’s more kite-surfing weather than anything else.

Here’s the one to circle: Sunday morning the 23rd of August. Early light westerly, clean, and the swell’s still there—5 feet from the south, 9-second period, and combined energy of 326. That’s the standout. It’s not big, but it’s clean, and the south direction matches what this spot wants. The rating’s decent, but the crowd factor’s real: it can get busy at Shark Island, so be ready for company. Conditions are fair, though, and it’s the best you’ll see for a while.

The following week is a different story. Tuesday the 25th kicks up some serious size: 8 feet in the morning, jumping to over 8 feet by the afternoon, with a 12-second period and combined energy up at 1827—that’s strong, proper energy. The wind’s cross-off and clean, but this is big for this spot. Anything over 8 feet is expert territory, and a long-period south swell like that on a reef can be tricky and dangerous. It’s a “promising but not for the faint-hearted” situation. The Wednesday the 26th has a bit more swell (6 feet) with offshore wind, but the period drops to 10 seconds and it looks more marginal.

After that, it fades fast. By the 28th, we’re back to under 2 feet and it pretty much stays that way through to the end of the month. The long-range stuff—that Tuesday the 25th pulse—is worth keeping an eye on, but don’t book the week off work just yet.

So, bottom line: if you’re keen, get out early on the Sunday the 23rd for the cleanest, most user-friendly waves on offer. The big Tuesday’s for the crew with a death wish and the right boards. Otherwise, it’s flat and quiet, and that’s just the way it goes sometimes.

Stay salty,
Rusty

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