Surf Forecasts:
Shark Island (Cronulla) surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 27 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 8s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 28 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 11s period, S swell with 338 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 26 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s period with ENE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Shark Island (Cronulla) this week:
The surf forecast for Shark Island (Cronulla) over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Shark Island (Cronulla) in the next 16 days are 1.2m 11s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Fri 28th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Shark Island (Cronulla) over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, grab your wettie, let’s get into it for Shark Island (Cronulla). It’s a reef set-up, pretty exposed, and likes a good south-east pulse.
Right now, the local water temp is sitting at 62°F, so about a degree and a half cooler than your average for this time of year – feels a bit nippier than normal, so you’ll want that 4/3. Looking over the next couple of weeks, it’s a pretty flat start with not much to offer.
Sunday morning’s got a weak 4ft south swell but the wind is all messy cross-shore, and the energy is moderate (256), but it’s just not coming together. Monday and Tuesday stay around that 3ft mark with cross and cross-onshore winds – surf is ordinary to poor. It’s basically a stretch of small, weak waves with bad wind. This drought lasts a solid four or five days.
Things get a little more interesting Thursday the 27th. The morning offers a pulse up to 5ft from the south, with energy picking up to 335. The wind is light and cross, but it’s borderline, tricky tide, so not quite clean. By Friday the 28th we get a clean 3ft south swell with a light cross-offshore breeze – that’s actually surfable. Saturday the 29th stays on the small side (3ft) but cross-off wind means it’s at least neat and tidy for a paddle.
Now. The real standout is Monday the 31st of August. It’s a glassy morning with a 2ft south swell but here’s the kicker – the period is a massive 19 seconds. That’s very long period groundswell, giving it more push than you’d expect from the height. The energy readings hit 399 (moderate-strong for that size). Because this is a reef break, that long-period groundswell will line up nicely, giving you clean, groomed lines. This is the best window in the entire forecast, but it’s not big – so it's more for the well-timed mid-length or
in the afternoon it gets chopped by onshore breezes, so hit the early.
After that, we ease back into a long flat spell. The first week of September is small and messy, with poor surf being the norm. Tuesday the 1st gives a small 3ft southerly with a 13-second period, but the cross winds spoil it. Thursday the 3rd offers a bump to 4ft from the SSE but short period – the energy (224) is moderate but the period is 7 seconds, so it will be fat and weak, not great for this reef. The rest of the second week just drops off into tiny swell and generally poor conditions. If you don’t hit that Monday the 31st, there’s not much else to get excited about.
So to wrap it up: the first five days are best spent doing other things besides surfing. Glassy Monday the 31st is your one real shot – it’s clean and the period will make it feel way better than the height says. After that, it’s a flat run through to the 7th of September. For the area, this kind of quiet spell happens, but it tends not to stay dead forever. Still, right now, you’ve been warned.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 20°C on Tue morning, min 13°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Wed afternoon, min 12°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 13 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 11 | S 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
220 | 161 | 202 | 118 | 89 | 172 | 51 | 108 | 120 | 106 | 84 | 301 | 277 | 153 | 338 | 160 | 100 | 135 | 119 | 164 | 92 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 5:01PM1.35m | 5:53AM0.95m | 5:50PM1.41m | 6:35AM1.01m | 6:31PM1.48m | 7:12AM1.09m | 7:09PM1.53m | 7:47AM1.16m | 7:45PM1.56m | 8:21AM1.24m | 8:21PM1.56m | 8:55AM1.31m | 8:57PM1.53m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:15AM0.55m | 00:02AM0.38m | 11:12AM0.51m | 00:42AM0.31m | 12:01PM0.44m | 1:16AM0.24m | 12:44PM0.38m | 1:49AM0.18m | 1:24PM0.33m | 2:19AM0.14m | 2:04PM0.29m | 2:50AM0.12m | 2:45PM0.26m | 3:21AM0.12m | |||||||
6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | |
— | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 4 | 5 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 |
Feels °C | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | SSE 8 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 11 | S 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 |
220 | 133 | 202 | 118 | 89 | 91 | 51 | 108 | 120 | 106 | 84 | 301 | 277 | 153 | 338 | 160 | 100 | 135 | 119 | 164 | 92 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | S 13 | NE 4 | NE 5 | S 18 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 8 | S 11 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | S 8 | NE 4 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 |
9 | 161 | 16 | 30 | 6 | 46 | 41 | 26 | 14 | 6 | 9 | 54 | 41 | 41 | 68 | 59 | 50 | 8 | 46 | 40 | 44 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 17 | — | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | E 13 | S 18 | ENE 10 | S 16 | S 16 | S 16 | — | — | S 15 | SSE 14 | — | SSE 14 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 |
27 | — | 7 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 19 | 21 | 5 | — | — | 17 | 21 | — | 39 | 37 | 37 | 18 | 17 | 7 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NE 9 | NE 5 | NE 5 | ENE 5 | NE 6 | — | — | NNW 3 | SW 3 | SSE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | S 3 | S 4 | S 4 |
— | 20 | 41 | 72 | 52 | 172 | — | — | 2 | 5 | 97 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 21 | 3 | 12 | 2 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 137 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 29 | 0 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Sydney South Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Shark Island (Cronulla) Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Shark Island (Cronulla) provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Shark Island (Cronulla) can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Shark Island (Cronulla) surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Shark Island (Cronulla)) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Shark Island (Cronulla) may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Shark Island (Cronulla) is 2 km (1 miles) from Cronulla. If you plan a holiday in Sydney South Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in Cronulla. Cronulla has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











