Shark Island (Cronulla) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Shark Island (Cronulla) over the next couple of weeks.

Right now, we’re in a bit of a dry spell. From this Sunday morning the 13th right through until the morning of Tuesday the 15th, it’s pretty much flat or blown out with poor conditions. The swell is tiny, mostly around 2ft to 3ft from the south, but the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore, so it’s not worth paddling out for. There’s a gap of about two and a half days with no surf worth talking about.

Then things get a bit interesting, but not for the faint-hearted. Wednesday the 16th sees a big pulse of swell from the south pushing in, with wave heights jumping to 10ft to 12ft. The combined swell energy is strong to very strong, hitting 1342 in the morning and a hefty 2559 in the afternoon. The wind swings offshore from the SSW and S, so the waves will be clean, but this is solid, powerful stuff. With the swell over 8ft, this is expert-only territory. Thursday the 17th holds similar size, around 8ft to 10ft from the south and SSE, with cross-offshore winds and clean conditions, but again, it’s big and demanding. The combined energy stays high, around 989 to 1641.

Friday the 18th drops back a bit to 4ft to 5ft from the SSE, but the wind turns onshore and cross-shore, so it’s messy. Not the best.

Saturday the 19th morning has a tiny 2ft from the SE with light cross-offshore winds, making it clean, but there’s barely any push. The combined energy is weak at 290. By the afternoon, a 1ft swell rolls in with a very long 17-second period from the SSE, but it’s onshore wind and the wave size is just a dribble. That long period won’t help on a reef break like this unless there’s more size.

Sunday the 20th through Tuesday the 22nd is mostly small, with the odd surfable wave but nothing to get excited about. The best of that patch is Monday the 21st morning, when a 8ft southerly swell arrives with cross-shore winds and a combined energy of 1463, but the conditions are marginal and the wind is light and cross-shore, so it’s a bit tricky. Not a standout.

Now, the real standout of the whole outlook is Saturday the 26th morning. We get a 5ft swell from the ENE, with glassy conditions – that’s a major positive for clean surf. The combined swell energy is moderate at 376, and the wind is dead calm. The swell direction from the ENE is a good match for Shark Island’s optimum from the SE, so it’ll wrap in nicely. This is the pick of the bunch, and with the water temperature around 63°F, that’s about average for this time of year, so no need for a thick steamer.

Looking further out, Monday the 28th morning brings a solid 8ft southerly swell with a cross-offshore breeze and clean conditions. The combined energy is high at 1291, and the period is 11 seconds, so it’s a proper groundswell. This one’s promising but it’s over a week away, so less certain. The size puts it in the expert range, but the wind and swell direction look good for this reef.

Overall, the best bet is Saturday the 26th morning for a glassy, clean session on a fun-sized swell. For the big-wave crew, Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th offer serious power, but you’ll want to be well across your game. Crowds are possible at Shark Island, so keep an eye out.

Rusty.

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