Shark Island (Cronulla) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a solid run of surf ahead for the next two weeks, with a standout event brewing on the 30th of July that’s got my heart pumping. Let’s break it down.

First up, Shark Island (Cronulla) is your reef. The water’s sitting at 63°, which is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year—no surprises there. The opening window on Monday the 20th of July morning is a cracker: clean skies, a light WNW cross-off breeze at 6 mph, and a 6 ft ENE swell with an 11-second period. The combined energy is solid at 778 (moderate), and the conditions are clean. This is a proper groundswell with good shape, but that ENE direction isn’t quite the optimum SE swell direction for this spot, so it’s not the absolute best. Still, it’s a great start for advanced surfers—crowds are possible, so keep an eye out.

The action drops off after Monday afternoon as the wind swings onshore and the swell dips. Tuesday through Thursday is a bit of a write-off—small waves, messy winds, and poor quality. Thursday morning the 23rd is particularly flat with just 2 ft and weak energy.

Then we get a whisper of hope on Friday the 24th of July morning. A 6 ft S swell rolls in with a 9-second period, light W cross-off breeze, and clean conditions. The energy is moderate at 500, but it’s a short-period swell, so it won’t have the same grunt. Not a standout, but worth a look.

Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th are mixed. The standout is Sunday morning the 26th: a 5 ft S swell with an 11-second period, clean WSW offshore breeze at 12 mph, and combined energy of 520 (moderate). That’s a nice, punchy groundswell with good shape, and the wind is glassy light. For advanced surfers, this is a solid session—crowds are possible.

Now, here’s the big one. On Thursday morning the 30th of July, we’ve got a monster: 8 ft S swell at 12 seconds, with a moderate SSW offshore breeze at 16 mph. The combined energy is a massive 3308 (strong wave energy). This is expert-only territory—that size is too big for anyone but the most experienced. The reef will handle it well, but the period is long enough to make it powerful and hollow. The crowd profile is likely to be heavy, but for those who can handle it, this is the best of the entire forecast. The morning is clean, but the afternoon gets marginal with tide issues.

Following that, Friday the 31st of July morning holds 6 ft S swell with an 11-second period, light SW offshore breeze, and clean conditions. Combined energy 894 (moderate). That’s still very good surf, and the wind is perfect. Saturday the 1st of August morning is similar: 6 ft S swell at 12 seconds, light SW offshore, combined energy 989 (moderate). Both are excellent sessions for advanced surfers, with clean conditions and some crowd potential.

The final week from Sunday the 2nd of August onward fades. Swell drops to 5 ft and below, winds get stronger, and the quality drops. There’s a glimmer on Tuesday the 4th of August morning with 4 ft S swell and a gentle SSW cross-off breeze, but it’s just ordinary conditions. The run from the 30th to the 1st is where the magic lives.

So, in short: the 30th of July morning is the standout—big, powerful, and clean for experts. The 31st of July and 1st of August mornings are the next best. Don’t waste your time on the flat mid-week.

Rusty.

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