Surf Forecasts:
Shark Island (Cronulla) surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 11s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 10s period, ESE swell with 175 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 11s period with ESE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Shark Island (Cronulla) this week:
The surf forecast for Shark Island (Cronulla) over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Shark Island (Cronulla) in the next 16 days are 1.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Shark Island (Cronulla) over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. I’ll give it to you straight—this outlook for Shark Island (Cronulla) is a long, frustrating wait. The pattern for the next week and a half is pretty grim. The first decent surf doesn’t show up until late in the window, so you’ve got a gap of about 12 days of nothing worth paddling out for.
Right now, Monday the 17th has a small 3ft swell from the ESE at a weak 7 seconds, but it’s onshore and sloppy—total write-off. Tuesday through to the following Monday all struggle with tiny waves, bad wind directions, or hardly any energy. Combined swell energy stays mostly below 200 (weak to moderate) and the wave comments are all “poor surf conditions.” It’s a brutal stretch.
Finally, on Saturday the 29th of August, things start to change. The morning shows a 7ft S swell at 8 seconds, with strong offshore winds from the SSW at 25 mph. The combined energy jumps to 847 (strong), but it’s lumpy and tricky—this is expert territory. The swell’s short period makes it a bit choppy. It’s still rated as marginal.
The real standout comes on Tuesday morning, September 1st. That’s your best bet. A solid 5ft S swell at 12 seconds—proper groundswell with long period—combined with light offshore winds from the SSE at 6 mph. The combined swell energy is 807 (strong), and the wave comment says “expect very good surf conditions.” That’s what we’ve been waiting for. The water temp is around 62°F, which is about a degree and a half cooler than average for this time of year, so you’ll want a decent wetsuit.
Shark Island is a reef break, and the optimum swell direction is SE. This S swell will work, but the longer period means it might wall up a bit—still, with that offshore breeze, it’ll be clean and powerful. This one’s for the advanced crew only, especially with size in the 5ft to 8ft range. Crowds are sometimes an issue here, but on a Tuesday, you might get a few less.
If you can wait, that September 1st morning session is the one to circle. Everything before that is a bust.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Thu afternoon, min 13°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri morning, min 13°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | E 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | SSE 5 | S 9 | S 12 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 79 | 77 | 102 | 82 | 175 | 81 | 44 | 48 | 39 | 43 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 17 | 169 | 72 | 68 | 121 | 116 | 89 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross | cross | on | cross | cross-on | on | cross-off | off | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross | on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 12:12PM1.34m | 00:22AM1.08m | 1:00PM1.31m | 1:18AM0.96m | 1:56PM1.28m | 2:30AM0.88m | 2:59PM1.27m | 3:51AM0.87m | 4:04PM1.30m | 5:01AM0.89m | 5:01PM1.35m | 5:53AM0.95m | 5:50PM1.41m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:34PM0.43m | 6:20AM0.40m | 7:39PM0.49m | 7:03AM0.48m | 8:53PM0.51m | 7:59AM0.54m | 10:10PM0.50m | 9:07AM0.57m | 11:13PM0.45m | 10:15AM0.55m | 00:02AM0.38m | 11:12AM0.51m | 00:42AM0.31m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  | | | | |  |  | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — |
 | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 16 |
Feels °C | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 7 | S 11 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 10 | ENE 5 | ESE 8 | E 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | SE 7 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | SSE 5 | S 9 | S 7 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 |
| kJ | 79 | 55 | 83 | 71 | 175 | 36 | 44 | 48 | 39 | 43 | 2 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 17 | 169 | 66 | 68 | 121 | 116 | 89 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | ESE 14 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | S 8 | SE 9 | ENE 6 | E 10 | E 10 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 4 | S 8 | NE 6 | SSE 16 | S 12 | S 7 | NE 8 | E 13 | NE 9 |
| kJ | 55 | 61 | 102 | 82 | 11 | 81 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 80 | 72 | 25 | 15 | 3 | 20 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 11 | E 9 | S 10 | S 9 | — | S 8 | E 11 | — | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | — | S 9 | SE 7 | S 8 | NE 9 | — | ENE 4 | ENE 4 | S 16 | NE 4 |
| kJ | 12 | 7 | 30 | 24 | — | 1 | 2 | — | 3 | 2 | 8 | — | 6 | 2 | 6 | 20 | — | 6 | 3 | 21 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ESE 7 | — | — | ENE 3 | NE 5 | — | — | — | — | ENE 6 | — | WSW 2 | SSE 2 | S 5 | — | ENE 9 | NE 4 | — | ENE 9 | — |
| kJ | — | 77 | — | — | 4 | 69 | — | — | — | — | 22 | — | 1 | 1 | 28 | — | 30 | 12 | — | 43 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 420 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 20 | 7 | 190 | 317 | 312 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Sydney South Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Shark Island (Cronulla) Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Shark Island (Cronulla) provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Shark Island (Cronulla) can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Shark Island (Cronulla) surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Shark Island (Cronulla)) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Shark Island (Cronulla) may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Shark Island (Cronulla) is 2 km (1 miles) from Cronulla. If you plan a holiday in Sydney South Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in Cronulla. Cronulla has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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