Shark Island (Cronulla) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, grab a coffee and settle in. It’s Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Shark Island (Cronulla) for the next couple of weeks. Gotta be straight with you—the start is a total write-off for a decent paddle.

We’re looking at a long, slow grind before anything really gets going. Sunday the 16th kicks things off with a 5ft SE swell, but the wind is a messy cross-shore and the combined energy is only a weak 277. It’s a no-go. That vibe sticks around for days. Monday the 17th drops to 2ft, and it’s raining with cross-onshore breeze. By Tuesday the 18th, we get a moment of glassy conditions in the morning with tiny 3ft ESE swell (energy 137), but it’s so ordinary you’ll be fighting for a dribble. That pattern of “surfable but very ordinary” pops up again on Wednesday morning the 19th (2ft, glassy), and then again on Sunday the 23rd (2ft, clean), but honestly, you’re not missing much. There’s a solid gap with no real recommendations until later.

Now, the real standout finally arrives on Tuesday the 25th. The afternoon session sees a jump to 4ft NE swell with a clean, light cross-offshore breeze. The energy climbs to a moderate 270, and things finally line up for proper waves. That’s your best bet of the first week, and it looks like a proper window of good surf.

But if you can wait, hold out for Saturday the 29th of August. This is the absolute highlight of the entire outlook. Early morning, we get a 7ft ENE swell with glassy, offshore conditions and a solid energy reading of 685. That’s strong, punchy, and clean—this is for experienced surfers only, as it’s over 5ft and into expert territory at 7ft. The swell direction is bang on for the optimum SE angle for Shark Island. It’s a reef break that’s fairly consistent, so expect a crew—crowds are "sometimes" around here. This one has real potential to be a cracker, though it’s a long-range call, so keep an eye on it.

After that, Sunday the 30th drops back to 3ft with offshore wind, but it’s ordinary again.

The water temp is sitting at 61°, which is 3° colder than normal for this time of year—a bit of a bite to it, so don’t forget the booties.

Overall, the first week is a waiting game, with Tuesday the 25th being the first real taste. The crown jewel is that Saturday morning on the 29th, if the forecasts hold. For the rest, it’s mostly skinny. Rusty out.

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