Shark Island (Cronulla) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s have a look at the coming weeks around Shark Island (Cronulla).

First off, it’s a pretty quiet run ahead. This is a reef setup that takes a fair bit of south in the swell to fire, and for the next week and a bit, we’re looking at small, weak pulses with very ordinary conditions. The combined swell energy hangs mostly in the low double or triple digits (252 to as low as 44), so nothing really gets the blood pumping. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Sunday morning the 30th of August is your first proper look. Clean, glassy-like conditions with a light cross-offshore breeze from the WNW at 3 mph, and a 3 ft swell from the south at 9 seconds. That’s not a standout, but it’s surfable. The energy is moderate (252), and it’s the best of a pretty average start. After that, we slide into a run of poor surf all through Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The swell drops, the wind turns messy, and you’re really just wasting your time. There’s a gap of several days here where nothing is worth paddling out for.

Thursday the 3rd of September afternoon finally sees a little life. Clean conditions again with a light offshore from the SW at 6 mph, and a small 2 ft south swell at 11 seconds. The energy is weak (83), but the period is decent, and it’s surfable. Friday morning the 4th is similar: 2 ft, south, 10 seconds, light cross-offshore from the west. Both mornings are clean but tiny.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Wednesday morning the 9th of September is the real standout of this whole outlook. We’ve got a clean 5 ft south swell at 10 seconds, with a light cross-offshore breeze from the SSE at 3 mph. Combined energy jumps to 349 – that’s moderate, solid energy for this spot. The waves will have some push, and with that offshore wind, Shark Island should be offering up some proper lined-up reef waves. This is the one to circle.

Thursday morning the 10th of September sees a bigger jump in size – 7 ft from the south at 10 seconds – but the conditions are more marginal. Light cross-shore wind from the NNW at 6 mph, and energy is pumping at 1055. That’s strong wave energy. However, 7 ft on a reef like this is expert territory only. It’s big, powerful, and not for the faint-hearted.

Friday morning the 11th of September is another good one. 5 ft south swell, 10 seconds, with a light cross-offshore from the south at 9 mph. Clean, solid energy (369), and much more manageable than Thursday. If you’re looking for a quality session without the heavy stuff, this is your pick.

After that, the surf drops right back off into the weak stuff again, with nothing worth getting excited about through the weekend and into the following week. The run from Saturday the 12th onward is mostly poor, small, and onshore.

So, the two true standouts here are Wednesday morning the 9th and Friday morning the 11th of September. Wednesday has the cleaner, glassier conditions, Friday is slightly smaller but still very good. Thursday morning the 10th is for experts only.

Stay patient, and mark those mornings.

Rusty.

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