South Australian Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Monday 20th February)

Best Days: Tuesday morning South Coast, Mid Coast Thursday onwards through Saturday, South Coast Sunday morning and Monday

Recap

Onshore messy waves across the Mid Coast all weekend around 2ft, while the South Coast saw large pulses of SW and then S/SW swell but with poor winds.

Today the swell was still solid and easing from 4-5ft along with slightly better but still average E/SE winds. The Mid Coast was cleaner but easing from a tiny and weak 1-1.5ft.

This week and weekend (Feb 21 – 26)

Tomorrow morning is the pick of the week across the South Coast with fun easing sets from 2-3ft off Middleton with 4ft'ers at Waits and Parsons under a NE offshore wind. Sea breezes are only due to kick in mid-afternoon so there's plenty of time for two surfs.

Wednesday will be clean again with a strong offshore N/NE wind ahead of a gusty W'ly change during the middle of the day, but there'll be no size left at all.

This change will kick up an increase in W/SW windswell to 1-2ft on the Mid Coast but with no real quality.

This windswell is expected to fade through Thursday from a similar size, while Middleton will have weak 1-2ft waves and a bit more size at Waits with easing S'ly winds (best on the Mid).

Into Friday and Saturday some fun SW swell is expected across the state, generated by a strong polar frontal progression that will begin south-west of WA today.

An initial front will project a fetch of strong to gale-force W/SW winds through our south-western swell window, followed by a secondary slightly stronger fetch through Thursday and Friday.

We'll see the first swell fill in Friday, coming in at 3ft across Middleton and 1-2ft on the Mid Coast, with the second swell Saturday seeing sets to 4ft off Middleton as the Mid continues at 1-2ft.

The surf should then ease off slowly through Sunday and further Monday.

Winds through this while period will be best for the Mid Coast with a moderate to fresh S/SE'ly Friday, fresher from the SE-S/SE Saturday, while Sunday will offer straighter E'ly winds (tending E/NE down South). Monday will be even cleaner down South with a N/NE offshore as the swell keeps easing.

Longer term another fun pulse of swell is due Tuesday with NE offshores, but we'll have another look at this Wednesday.