South Australian Forecast (issued Monday 21st March)

Best Days: Tuesday, early Wednesday, possibly Saturday morning, Sunday

Recap

Light onshore winds, tending variable through the morning Saturday created OK conditions but, Sunday was better with a morning E/NE breeze and cleaner SW swell. The Mid Coast offered tiny but ideal 1-1.5ft waves for beginners and bigger volumed boards over the weekend.

Today the swell was smaller across both coasts, with exposed breaks down South the pick under a light morning N/NE offshore, tiny on the Mid.

This week and weekend (Mar 22 - 27)

South Coast: There's been no change to tomorrow's strong long-period S/SW groundswell, with satellite observations over the weekend registering a fetch of 50kt+ winds from a deep polar low.

This swell should peak tomorrow morning and offer 3-4ft+ waves across Middleton with 5-6ft sets at Waits and Parsons under offshore N/NE tending variable winds.

The swell should then ease back steadily through Wednesday with early light N/NE winds ahead of a shallow onshore change through the morning.

A low point in swell activity is due Thursday morning but it will only be temporary ahead of a flurry of vigorous polar frontal activity through our south-western and southern swell windows.

This will be related to a node of the Long Wave Trough moving in from the west, with back to back frontal systems expected to produce good pulses of groundswell.

The first pulse for Thursday afternoon will be generated by an intense and tight fetch of severe-gale to possibly storm-force W/SW winds moving in over an already active sea state generated by a weak front before it, with Middleton expected to build to 3-4ft+ into the afternoon, with 5ft+ waves at Waits and Parsons, easing back a touch into Friday.

This will be then followed by a larger pulse of S/SW groundswell Saturday from a strong polar low forming over the active sea state of the storm mentioned above, generating a fetch of severe-gale to storm-force SW winds through our southern swell window.

A large kick to 4-6ft should be seen across most locations through the day Saturday, with bombs above 6ft at Waits and Parsons, easing back slowly Sunday and more so into Monday.

Early E/NE winds are due on Thursday before S/SE sea breezes kick in, persisting from the SE into Friday. Saturday may see E/SE breezes, but Sunday is the pick with N/NE tending NW winds, creating excellent conditions. An onshore change Monday will then create average conditions again.

Mid Coast: Tomorrow's S/SW swell will hardly push reach 0.5-1ft tomorrow, fading into Wednesday. Thursday's building SW swell should reach 1-1.5ft into the afternoon/evening, with 1ft+ waves from Friday through Sunday.

Longer term we may see a larger SW groundswell developing for mid-late next week, but more on this Wednesday.