Cronulla surf is great for escaping the busy beaches of the Sydney CBD, but it’s not only about thinning out the crowds. Right points and barreling reef breaks make it a stomping ground for serious rippers, and there’s fantastic consistency through a long surf season.
An introduction to Cronulla surf
In a city that’s got surfing on basically every nook and cranny of its long shoreline, the southern suburb of Cronulla is often regulated to the backseat. What surf traveler is going to drive the 30 minutes out of Bondi or the hour from Manly to score waves when they’re right on the doorstep. Well…quite a few, actually. The reason? Cronulla is three miles of pure consistency, with emptier waves than in the city center, breaks for all levels, and a long surfing heritage that goes back more than 50 years. It’s just an all-round great place to start a surf trip in NSW.
The breaks run the gamut from heavy reef slabs like Voodoo to sandbank A-frames for all levels. They’ll work different at different points in the bay and as the swell moves from SE to NE between winter and summer, though Cronulla surf is know across Sydney for its consistency. We say this: If you want to escape the mega crowds of the mainstay breaks further north and enjoy some of the most reliable spots on the southern beaches, come down and you won’t be disappointed.
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Cronulla surf at a glance
The good…
The bad…
What’s in this guide to surfing in Cronulla?
Where is Cronulla?
Cronulla is on the southeastern side of Sydney as a whole. The area fronts a long, arcing beach and bay that’s around three miles from end to end. Surf happens at every point in said bay, from the gnarly reefs of the north to the more protected point down south. It’s best to have your own car to get Cronulla way. There are train to Cronulla train station from the CBD but the trip is over an hour in all, plus there’s walking to be done between the individual breaks.
Cronulla surf spots
There are a handful of well-known Cronulla surf spots, starting with the heavy reef lefts of Voodoo and going all the way to the high-performance wave at Sandshoes on the outer reefs to the south of the main point. Here’s a look at the whole lot of them…
Voodoo
Half a kilometer off of Potter Point on the far north side of Cronulla Beach, Voodoo can come alive in the huge winter S-SE swells and offer some mega left barrels. It’s a slabby number that’s only really for pros and aspiring pros. The take off is on a steep wall straight into a big pit where you’ll be able to see the reef staring right up at ya.
Greenhills Beach
The Merries Reef that lies off the coast about 100m kinda’ stops a lot of the summer E-NE swell running through into Greenhills Beach. But there can be days when there’s a small south swell that will refract into the bay and give fat, bowly waves that are fun for longboards and minimalling. You’ll need to watch the wind, though, because a touch of it can ruin the whole party.
The Alley
The Cronulla Alley is a fun collection of sandbanks that will shift and change up all year, offering rights and lefts and sometimes closeouts when it’s too big. The spot is very regularly surfed by both travelers and the local crews, who are known to be a little vocal in the water. There’s space though, with multiple take-off zones and some fun, hotdogging waves.
Cronulla Point
Cronulla Point is a freakishly consistent spot in the winter months, getting swell after swell after swell from the SE quadrant without the blustery S winds to mess the whole thing up. It’s where Cronulla surf culture really began back in the 50s and 60s and continues to remain very popular to this day. Perfect intermediate break in the 5-8 foot range, but there might be some localism.
Shark Island
A slabby, sucking barrel that’s beaten even the best of them awaits on the craggy reef shelves of Shark Island, right at the southern end of Cronulla beach. This one’s not for the faint hearted and is known as the home of one of the world’s most ridiculous body boarding comps each year – ridiculous in the sense that it breeds near-death experiences. Some surfers will look to it on big S swells in the peak of the winter months, when a frothing keg runs like an Indo rifle barrel off the edge of the reef. We prefer to watch.
Sandshoes
The southernmost spot in Cronulla was named way back in the day by the first surfers who came out this way. What they found was a high-performance right that hoovered up swell from the S-SE to give hollow, steep faces that were perfect for all sorts of maneuvers, all breaking over urchin-infested reef (hence why you’d need sandshoes to conquer it). It continues to reign as the locals wave.
Where to stay when surfing in Cronulla?
Cronulla certainly doesn’t have the same massive selection of places to stay you get around Bondi and Manly. But that keeps the huge crowds out of the line up. And there are still one or two really nice places to rest up between sessions here.
Rydges Cronulla Beachside
Rydges Cronulla Beachside is one of the only fully-fledged hotel options in this suburban corner of south Sydney. But it hardly rests on its laurels. There’s a lovely outdoor pool, relaxing gardens, and plush suites with a maritime theme.
Beautifully renovated quiet unit in Cronulla
The Beautifully renovated quiet unit in Cronulla is exactly what it says. Score a pad to yourself, live like a local for a bit, and take some time to surf all the spots up and down the bay. You get a living space, a kitchen, and a comfy bedroom, all with a bit of a surfer vibe.
Step-by-step guide to planning your cronulla surf trip right now
Step one: Book flights to the cronulla surf…Lately, we like Omio for searching flights. It’s a nice interface and has lots of airline options. We also use Skyscanner because that sometimes offers deals that even beat going direct to the carrier!
Step two: Book your surf camp Book Surf Camps is the numero uno online booking platform for fully-fledged surf-stay packages on the internet right now. Then there’s Booking.com. That has consistently unbeatable rates for hotels and a nifty map feature that lets you check EXACTLY how close your hotel is to a surf break.
Step three: Get insuranceThis is kinda’ important. Not just for surf trips but for any trips. SafetyWing is great for nomad travelers. They offer rolling contracts that cover amateur surfing.
Step four (optional): Rent a car If you’re surf camping then you might not need wheels. If you’re not then we’ll just say this: We’ve never been on a surf trip that wasn’t improved by having our own car. Use RentalCars – they’re the best.
Step four: Enjoy!
When to surf in Cronulla?
Like many of the surf spots in Sydney, Cronulla works on a whole range of swells and it’s very rarely flat. That said, the winter months send up the biggest S-SE pulses, which are the ones you want to see Sandshoes and The Alley firing off those ideal right shoulders one after the other. The southern parts of the bay are better at that time too, since there’s fairly decent protection from the S winds that come between May and August. Surf in the summer comes from the E and sometimes NE, working well on the sandbanks in the middle of the bay. It’s usually a lot smaller, so beginners and lower intermediates could consider swinging by around December-March.
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
