Eastern Tasmania Surf Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Wednesday December 20)

Best Days: Later Friday protected spots, Saturday morning, Sunday morning

Features of the Forecast (tl;dr)

• Building SE windswell tomorrow with early SW tending strong SE winds
• Moderate sized E/SE-SE swell building Fri, stronger late with strong S/SE tending S/SW winds on dark
• Easing E/SE-SE swell Sat with W/SW winds ahead of sea breezes
• Smaller Sun with NW tending gusty NE winds
• Stormy building E/NE-NE swell next week with strong onshore winds

Recap

A small, clean 1-2ft of weak N/NE windswell yesterday morning in southern corners before an onshore change moved through, replaced today by some weak S/SE windswell.

This week and weekend (Oct 21 - 24)

Looking at the current forecast period and the outlook is dynamic to say the least, and EC has a much stronger low forming off our coast later in the week which will result in more size than currently forecast on our models.

Firstly, the trough linked to yesterday's S/SE change will deepen in the Tasman Sea tomorrow, slipping back south towards us through the afternoon and evening, with it due to aim a fetch of strong, persistent E/SE tending SE winds through our swell window until Saturday when it continues south and out of our swell window.

This will bring strengthening SE winds through tomorrow afternoon with building levels of weak windswell, building more in size and energy Friday as winds swing from a strong S/SE'ly possibly to the S/SW later.

We should see sets pushing 4-5ft later and southern corners should be OK for the keen, with the swell easing back from a similar size range on Saturday under great W/SW offshore winds, swinging onshore late morning. Check back Friday for a cleared idea on the size.

Sunday morning looks clean again but the next approaching trough will see winds strengthen from the NE after NW offshores, with stormy, increasing surf and onshore E/NE-NE winds due early next week.

This will produce another, larger swell event with conditions improving possibly late in the week. More on this Friday.