Eastern Tasmania Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Monday 22nd December)

Best Days: Later Tuesday, Wednesday morning

Recap

Friday's good pulse of E'ly groundswell came in as forecast with inconsistent 3ft to occasionally 4ft sets across open beaches, but unfortunately the swell disappeared a lot quicker than expected overnight with tiny 1-1.5ft waves leftover into Saturday. Sunday was even small and unsurfable. Today the surf has remained tiny but we've got some decent NE windswell on the way for tomorrow.

This week (Dec 23 - 26)

The only real notable source of swell over the coming period will be from the NE and through tomorrow and Wednesday.

During this evening and tomorrow a broad fetch of strong NE winds will develop down the Southern NSW coast and push across the exit to Eastern Bass Strait down off our coast tomorrow morning.

This should kick up building levels of NE windswell through tomorrow, peaking during the afternoon/evening to 3ft+ across north-east facing beaches. Winds will be light offshore at dawn tomorrow before freshening from the N'th temporarily through the morning ahead of a late S/SE change.

This will favour southern corners towards dark as the NE swell peaks and winds go S'ly.

The S'ly change will push the fetch of NE winds away from us resulting in a drop in swell overnight and further through 2-3ft Wednesday morning. Winds may still be lingering from the S'th but should swing light W/SW before freshening from the E/NE during the day.

The fetch of NE winds will remain protracted off the NSW coast and this should stop the coast going flat with inconsistent 1ft to occasionally 2ft sets persisting at north-east swell magnets into Thursday and Friday morning.

A strong S'ly change through Friday afternoon looks to be too short-lived to generate any swell in Saturday with the coast going near flat.

Longer term there's nothing major on the cards, therefore make the most of tomorrow afternoon's and Wednesday morning's NE windswell.