Shark Island (Cronulla) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what Shark Island (Cronulla) has in store for us over the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, and we’ll have to be patient.

Right now, the start of the period is a real struggle. We've got some tiny swell from the ENE, but it's weak and short-period, with combined wave energy sitting at a paltry 50 (weak energy). The water temperature is sitting at 62°, which is about 1° cooler than average for this time of year, so nothing too unusual there. Friday morning is a write-off with "poor surf conditions" and a cross-offshore wind. Things don't improve much through the weekend, with a mix of onshore and cross-shore winds keeping the surface messy and the wave heights tiny.

We finally see a pulse of S swell arrive on Sunday the 23rd, with 4 ft swell on the morning, but it's plagued by a cross wind and only rates as "marginal". By Wednesday the 26th, we get a little flicker of hope. The morning sees a clean 3 ft swell from the ENE with an offshore SSW wind of 12 mph. It's not huge, and only rates as "surfable but very ordinary", but it's the first time we get a clean, offshore session. The combined energy is moderate at 151.

The real standout, and the clear best on offer, will be the morning of Thursday, the 27th of August. The swell picks up to a clean 4 ft out of the south, with a period of 10 seconds, giving it a bit of punch. The combined energy jumps to a moderate 372, and we are looking at glassy conditions with a light WSW breeze of 3 mph. Expect good surf conditions on that incoming S swell. This is a true reef break for advanced surfers, and it’s fairly consistent, though crowds are possible. The S swell direction isn't the optimum SE the spot loves, but it'll still produce clean, lined-up sets for those who know the take-off. Keep in mind that with a 4 ft swell, it's not going to be too intimidating for those comfortable in the line-up, but the reef bottom demands respect.

Following that, Friday the 28th also looks promising with another clean morning, 4 ft S swell, a 10-second period and a light cross-offshore wind. The energy is a solid 337, so another good call for the morning session. The following weekend and into the first week of September get a bit messy again, with winds switching onshore and the swell dropping off. There is a late pulse on the 5th of September with 4 ft from the SSE, but the winds are cross-shore and the conditions are only "marginal".

Overall, it's a 16-day window that's mostly quiet, but the period around the 27th and 28th of August offers a couple of solid early-morning windows for clean, fun waves at Shark Island. Don't expect much consistency outside of that.

- Rusty

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