Eastern Tasmania Surf Forecast by Steve Shearer (issued Mon 16 August)

Features of the Forecast (tl;dr)

• Slow moving low provides solid S swell pulse late Mon, peaking Tues, leftovers Weds
• Small NE windswell building Fri, holding Sat morning before easing.
• More S swell on the radar for middle of next week, stay tuned.

Recap

Small amounts of S swell offered up some rideable options at S facing beaches Saturday. Size eased right back to tiny/flat during Sun and is now on the way up as a robust Tasman low passes slowly under the state.

This week (Aug 16-20) 

Todays passage of a polar low with a favourably angled SSW fetch now slingshotting into Tasmanian latitudes is generating a solid S swell building into this evening. 

An upgrade is expected from Fridays f/cast with solid 4-6ft surf expected through tomorrow, with fresh SW winds tending more W’ly in the wake of the frontal passage. This swell is expected to have plenty of juice left in the tank for Wed, with a strong tail to the fetch maintaining surf in the 3-5ft range through the morning before easing during the day. Winds are expected to tend more NW during the day. 

Surf drops quickly away during Thursday.

Small NE windswell is then expected to lift wave heights into the 1-2ft range later Friday as a weak but proximate fetch of N’ly winds develops at the entrance to Bass Strait. These winds extend along the NSW coast during the day Sat.

This weekend (Aug 21-22)

Overnight N’lies in Bass Strait Fri and a disconnected fetch of NE winds in the Tasman adjacent to NSW push NE winds swell up into the 2-3ft range Sat, easing back through Sun. Light N’ly winds tend strong WSW as a front crosses the state on Sat, tending more NW to W on Sun.

Next week (Aug 23) and beyond.

More strong cold front action and a deep low is expected to generate another pulse of S swell, by mid next week. Early indications are it could be in the same range as the imminent pulse tomorrow. More on Wed.