South Australian Forecast (issued Monday 21st December)

Best Days: Mid Coast tomorrow morning, keen surfers down South, Friday both coasts, Saturday and Sunday Mid Coast

Recap

Fun small clean waves across the South Coast most of Saturday, best at Waits and Parsons, while the Mid offered inconsistent but glassy waves either side of 1ft.

Into Sunday an onshore and cool change created average conditions on the Mid and down South, only for desperate surfers.

Today a good new W/SW swell expected across the Mid Coast has come in at a good 2ft with offshore winds, while the South Coast offered more size but sloppy conditions with the wind.

This week and weekend (Dec 22 - 27)

South Coast: Conditions will improve tomorrow across the South Coast as winds tend E'ly, but there'll still be a lot of lump and peakiness to the ocean, as well as only an average weak S/SW swell to 2ft or so at Middleton and 3ft out at Waits and Parsons.

Into Wednesday winds are due to go back to the SE unfortunately creating poor conditions and kicking up a weak windswell.

Winds should swing offshore from the N/NE Thursday morning but there'll be not much swell in the water with a weak mix of swells to 1ft or so at Middleton and 2ft or so at Waits and Parsons.

Later in the day though when the sea breeze is in, a strong kick in new long-range and long-period SW groundswell is due, peaking Friday.

This is being generated by a strong polar low that's currently south-west of WA, with satellite observations already picking up a fetch of severe-gale to storm-force W/SW winds.

The low is forecast to weaken slightly while remaining in the same position tomorrow and Wednesday, before then being projected up and through the Bight towards us into the end of the week.

This will result in an initial inconsistent long-period SW groundswell for later Thursday, peaking Friday to 3-4ft across the Middleton stretch with 5ft+ sets at Waits and Parsons. Winds will be excellent early and offshore from the N/NE, with an onshore change due through the afternoon at some stage.

The swell will ease back a touch into Saturday morning with onshore S/SW winds, but a secondary pulse of W/SW groundswell is expected later in the day, and Sunday morning.

This should keep 3-4ft sets hitting Middleton Sunday with 5ft waves out at Waits but with S/SE winds continuing to create average conditions. Better NE winds are likely Monday as the swell eases.

Mid Coast: Today's good pulse of W/SW groundswell should ease back through tomorrow from 1-2ft with offshore winds, bottoming out through Wednesday.

Late in the day Thursday the new SW groundswell might kick to 1ft or so, with Friday seeing very infrequent 1-2ft sets.

Saturday should provide much more action with the W/SW groundswell kicking from 2ft during the morning to a solid 2-3ft later in the day with S'ly winds that may tend S/SE late. Come Sunday the swell should ease from a good 2ft to maybe 3ft with offshore winds. We'll confirm these sizes on Wednesday.