Shark Island (Cronulla) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a yarn about what’s coming up for Shark Island (Cronulla). It’s a reef setup, pretty exposed, and it likes the SE swell best – but the next couple of weeks are all over the shop, so we gotta pick our moments.

First up, the water temp is sitting at 62.1°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year – so you’ll be wanting a decent steamer.

Right now, there’s nothing doing. We’ve got a gap from Thursday 16 July right through to Sunday morning 19 July with no surf worth paddling out for. It’s a slow start.

Come Sunday 19 July morning, we finally get a pulse. There’s a 5.2ft swell from the ENE with a 10-second period and a light S breeze keeping it cross-off. The combined energy is moderate at 612, and conditions are clean. It’s not huge, but it’s a start. The crowd factor is “sometimes” at this break, so you might have a few out. Sunday afternoon stays similar at 5.6ft ENE, but the wind swings cross-shore – still light, but a little chop creeps in.

Monday 20 July is marginal at best – 5.2ft ENE in the morning with a NW cross breeze, then the afternoon gets messy with a NE onshore. Not worth chasing.

Tuesday 21 July morning is where it gets interesting. The wind drops to just 3 mph from the WNW, swinging cross-off, and you’ve got a clean 4.3ft ENE swell at 10 seconds. The energy sits at 358 – moderate but nicely shaped. That early session will be glassy and uncrowded if you’re keen. The period is under 11 seconds, so it’s not a proper groundswell, but on a reef like Shark Island it’ll hold up fine. Afternoon goes cross-on, so make it a sunrise mission.

Wednesday 22 July morning is surfable but pretty ordinary – 3.6ft ENE, clean cross-off, but just lacking that punch. Then we hit another dry spell: Thursday 23 July and Friday 24 July morning are small and weak, with swell dropping to 2.6ft and energy under 120.

Now, the standout. Friday 24 July afternoon – this is the one to circle. We get a 6.9ft S swell with a 10-second period, the wind goes offshore from the SW at just 3 mph, and the combined energy jumps to 1583 – that’s strong. The water’s clean, the reef will handle it, and for experienced surfers this is excellent. 6.9ft is solid – not for beginners – and it’s a groundswell from the south, which is close to the optimum SE direction. This is the best on offer, no doubt.

Saturday 25 July morning still has 5.2ft from the S with offshore SW wind at 16 mph, but the breeze is stronger and the energy drops to 595 – it’s a bit wind-affected and marginal. Afternoon gets blown out with a 22 mph southerly.

From there, the second week is patchy. Sunday 26 July through Monday 27 July are small and average – 3ft to 4.9ft, mostly cross or onshore winds. Tuesday 28 July has some clean offshore wind in the afternoon but only 3.9ft – worth a look if you’re desperate. Wednesday 29 July morning has 5.6ft S swell at 9 seconds with a cross-off, but the wind is 16 mph – a bit lumpy. Thursday 30 July morning is the pick of that later week: 5.2ft S swell with a gentle offshore from the SSW, clean, and 465 energy. Not a standout, but a good solid session.

Friday 31 July brings more 5.9ft S swell but the period drops to 8 seconds and the wind is cross-shore – surfable but not special.

To sum it up: the one and only true standout is Friday 24 July afternoon. That’s the session for the advanced crew. The rest is a mix of small, average, or too windy. Get out on Tuesday 21 July morning for a clean glassy paddle, and maybe Thursday 30 July morning for a decent S swell with offshore love. The rest of the 16 days is mostly quiet or blown out.

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