Shark Island (Cronulla) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for Shark Island (Cronulla).

We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks. The first few days are a tease, but the real standout window is a solid week away. Don’t expect much this weekend, but next Thursday and Friday, and into the first weekend of August, we might see some proper, heavy groundswell.

Starting off this Sunday, the 19th of July, the swell is from the ENE at 6 ft, but it’s coming in with a cross wind and that combined wave energy is a moderate 1043. It’s not looking like a good time. Monday morning, the 20th, is a little better with a clean 6 ft from the ENE and a light W/NW cross-off breeze. The energy drops to 766, but it’s clean. Monday afternoon, the wind swings onshore from the NE, so that’s game over.

Tuesday the 21st is small and messy, and Wednesday the 22nd is flat-ish and ordinary. Thursday the 23rd starts with a fresh W wind, no good, but the afternoon brings a shift. We get a solid 5 ft from the S with a clean offshore SW wind at 12 mph. The wave energy is 660, and it looks clean. That’s a decent chance for a late session.

Friday the 24th morning cleans up with 5 ft from the S, light W wind, and 328 energy. That’s a good option. Saturday the 25th morning is similar, 3 ft from the S with a clean cross-off breeze. The period stretches to 11 seconds, which is proper groundswell. That’ll line up nicely on the reef here.

Now, here’s the big one. From Thursday the 30th of July, the swell picks up in a major way. The afternoon shows a 7 ft S swell with a solid 11-second period, and the combined energy shoots up to 1967. That’s a strong, powerful swell. The wind is a moderate SSW cross-off, so it’s clean. This is for experts only at that size. Friday the 31st stays big, with 8 ft from the SSE, period 12 seconds, and energy at 1620. The wind is a fresh cross-off, so it’s clean but powerful. Then Saturday the 1st of August goes big again, 10 ft from the S in the morning with a fresh offshore wind. The energy is 1171. This is heavy, heavy stuff. Only for the experienced crew.

The drawback here is that the swell direction is mostly S or SSE, which isn’t the absolute optimum SE direction for Shark Island, but it’ll still work. The long period (11-12 seconds) means it’s a proper groundswell, which will be better shaped and have more energy, but the sets will be further apart. The water temperature isn’t given, so I can’t comment on that.

So, the standout sessions are the mornings of the 24th and 25th of July for a cleaner, more manageable size, and then the big, powerful window from the 30th of July through the 1st of August for the experienced crew. The crowds can be around sometimes, so keep that in mind.

This is Rusty, signing off.

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