Shark Island (Cronulla) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve got the lowdown on what’s coming at Shark Island (Cronulla). Fair warning – it’s a slow start. The next few days are pretty grim, with only a couple of proper windows to get a decent wave. The first real chance is Saturday, August 1st, and that’s your best bet for a while. The water’s at 63°F, which is pretty average for this time of year, nothin’ special.

Alright, lock in Saturday morning. Light rain, but the wind is glassy out of the West at just 3 mph. That’s perfect. We’ve got a 5ft swell coming in from the SSE with a period of 9 seconds. It’s got moderate energy behind it (402). The wave comment says “expect good surf conditions,” and with that glass, the reef should be offering up clean, fun lines. It’s a standout for the whole outlook. The break is fairly exposed to the swell, and it’s coming from the SSE, which is close to its optimum SE direction. This one’s for advanced surfers only – not a learner’s wave. And crowds are possible, so keep your head on a swivel. Saturday afternoon stays glassy with a 5ft SSE swell, still clean but a touch smaller.

After that, things fall apart. Sunday morning, August 2nd, the wind shifts to a cross-shore NNW at 9 mph. The swell jumps to 5ft, but with a longer 12-second period, and the energy climbs to 743 – that’s strong energy for a groundswell. But the cross-wind chops it up, and conditions are described as “marginal surf.” By Sunday afternoon, the wind goes onshore from the NE at 16 mph, and it’s a complete wash-out.

Monday the 3rd and Tuesday the 4th are poor – tiny, weak swell, mostly under 3ft, with onshore or cross-off winds that aren’t worth the paddle. The energy drops to barely noticeable (22 on Tuesday morning).

We get a little flicker on Wednesday afternoon, August 5th – a 4ft S swell at 9 seconds, with light cross-off winds and clean conditions. But the energy is moderate (295), and the overall rating is still poor. Not enough to get excited.

Thursday the 6th is surfable but very ordinary. Friday morning, August 7th, brings a glimmer – a 6ft SSE swell at 9 seconds, with clean, offshore SW winds at 6 mph. The energy is high (545). “Expect good surf conditions.” This is the other standout. It’s bigger, well over 5ft, so it’s an advanced session again. The offshore wind makes it clean, but with a 9-second period, it’s a mixed swell, not a long-period groundswell. Crowds are still possible.

From there, the rest of the first week and into the second week is largely a write-off. Saturday the 8th is small and weak. Sunday the 9th has a 4ft SE swell at 9 seconds, but the wind is onshore or cross-shore and moderate to fresh. By Monday the 10th, the wind is howling from the NW at 19 mph, and the swell is a short-period 5ft from the NE – messy, lumpy, poor. Tuesday the 11th through Thursday the 13th are all cross-off winds and clean faces, but the swell direction is mainly from the ENE or S, and the size fluctuates. The energy is moderate to strong, but the wave quality is consistently rated poor or marginal. Thursday afternoon the 13th sees a 8ft SE swell at 8 seconds with over 900 energy, but it’s still marked as marginal.

Friday, August 14th – we get a 10ft ESE swell at 8 seconds, with a fresh offshore wind. That’s a big, powerful swell (energy 1210), but it’s short period, so expect dumpy, crumbly waves. It’s marked as marginal, and at that size and period, it’s only for experts. The reef will hold, but it won’t be pretty.

Saturday the 15th is a mess – heavy rain, a gale-force SSW wind at 31 mph, and a 8ft ENE swell. The wave comment says “near gale offshore and very hard to paddle into.” That’s a hard pass.

Sunday the 16th stays windy with strong breezes and a 10ft ENE swell at 10 seconds, with over 1500 energy. Again, marginal at best, and mostly unsurfable for anyone other than absolute experts willing to battle the wind.

So if you’re keen, your best windows are Saturday, August 1st (morning) and Friday, August 7th (morning). The rest is a long, dry stretch of average to poor conditions. Keep the rubber on, and hope the forecasts shift.

Catch ya on the beach.
Rusty

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