Eastern Tasmania Surf Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Wednesday 23rd January)

Best Days: Friday protected northern corners, dawn Saturday north swell magnets, later Saturday south swell magnets, Sunday and Monday

Recap

Monday's pulse of acute S'ly groundswell faded into yesterday, while today a gusty S'ly change has brought with it a poor increase in small S'ly windswell.

Today’s Forecaster Notes are brought to you by Rip Curl

This week and weekend (Jan 24 - 27)

Any increase in poor and weak S'ly windswell seen today will back right off tomorrow, leaving small to tiny waves on the coast. Winds will be average in any case, possibly light out of the N/NE early but strengthening gradually out of the N/NE.

This will likely produce a tiny late increase in windswell with more size through Friday.

The windswell has been upgraded since Monday with winds due to reach strong to near gale-force across the southern end of the coast. This should produce an easy 3ft+ of N/NE windswell across the coast on Friday but winds look an issue still with a N'ly breeze most of the day, tending N/NW late.

A S'ly change will move through early Saturday and swing SE and then E/NE-NE through the afternoon with fading levels of N/NE windswell from 1-2ft max.

We'll then see our new S/SE groundswell building through the day and peaking Sunday morning.

Currently a great but small and tight fetch of storm-force S/SE winds are being aimed towards us, south of New Zealand. The fetch will extend in length with weaker S/SE gales projected closer towards us this afternoon and evening before the low generating the swell starts to push east tomorrow and swings winds out of our swell window.

A long-period S/SE groundswell will be generated, with it arriving Saturday morning and building to through the day to an easy 3ft by dark, if not bigger with a peak Sunday morning to 3-4ft. The swell should then ease off slowly into the afternoon, down more rapidly from 2-3ft Monday.

Winds will be great Sunday and Monday and offshore all day from the NW-W/NW favouring south swell magnets.

Longer term there's nothing too major on the cards so make the most of the swell from Friday.