Shark Island (Cronulla) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Shark Island (Cronulla). This is a reef break that’s fairly exposed to the south-east, and right now it’s the only spot worth a look for the next 16 days. The water’s sitting at 63°F, with a slight anomaly of -1°F, so pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year.

The first surf we see is this Friday afternoon, the 31st of July. We’ve got a 6ft swell from the south with a period of 9 seconds, pushing a moderate wave energy of 570. The wind is cross-off from the SSE at 12 mph, which cleans it up, but it’s being called marginal. Not a total loss, but don’t expect perfection.

The real standout, and I mean the one to circle, is Saturday the 1st of August. The morning brings rain showers, but the wind is light offshore from the southwest at 3 mph, and that’s glassy. The swell drops just a touch to 5ft from the SSE, still 9 seconds, with energy at 411. The call is “expect good surf conditions,” and that’s the best we’ll get. The afternoon cleans up even more with a glassy ENE breeze at 3 mph, swell at 5ft, and energy at 367. Saturday is the day.

Sunday morning the 2nd has a bigger energy spike at 743, thanks to a 5ft SSE swell with a 12-second period, but the wind is a cross-shore NNW at 9 mph, putting a slight chop on it. The longer period means better shape, but it’s not clean. Avoid the Sunday afternoon session—that NE wind at 16 mph is onshore and the conditions are poor.

After that, it’s a rough patch. From Monday the 3rd through to the 10th, the swell drops, the winds get messy, and the scores are flat. There’s a brief window on Thursday morning the 6th with a 5ft S swell, 9 seconds, and a light cross-off WSW breeze at 6 mph. That’s clean, but it’s just one session. Same goes for Friday morning the 7th—5ft from the SSE, 9 seconds, and a slight air WSW wind at 3 mph. Another clean slot, but energy is moderate at 408.

Then we hit a big gap. From the 8th of August right through to the 15th, the surf is tiny, the wind is mostly onshore or cross-off, and the energy numbers are pathetic—mostly under 200. The best you’ll find in that second week is a modest 4ft on the 5th, but it’s cross-shore and marginal. The 11th and 12th have some clean cross-off wind, but the swell is barely 2ft. It’s a long, flat stretch.

If you’re a beginner, Saturday the 1st is fine at 5ft, but anything over 5ft can be a bit much. This is a reef break, so it’s for advanced surfers anyway. The 12-second period on Sunday the 2nd is a groundswell, and at a reef like Shark Island, that’s a good thing—longer lines, better shape. But the crowd is a concern; it’s “sometimes” busy, so be ready for company on the good days.

Bottom line: Saturday the 1st of August is your pick. Early morning, offshore, clean—that’s the one. The rest of the window is mostly a write-off, with a few tidy windows on the 6th and 7th. But after that, it’s a long wait until the 14th, and even that’s just a 3ft S swell with a 8-second period. Not worth paddling out for.

Rusty.

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