South Australian Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Monday 22nd May)

Best Days: South Coast Wednesday morning, Mid Coast into the afternoon, both coasts Thursday, Friday from mid-morning and Saturday

Recap

Great waves down South on Saturday with offshore winds and 2ft+ waves off Middleton and 3-4ft sets at Waits and Parsons. The Mid Coast was tiny and unsurfable most of the weekend.

Today though a new W/SW groundswell has filled in, jumping to 1-2ft on the Mid Coast although with less than ideal N/NE winds, while the South Coast remained small with the west in the swell direction.

This week and weekend (May 23 – 28)

Today's increase in W/SW groundswell on the Mid Coast will fade back through tomorrow, with smaller mid-period energy due over the coming days.

This is being generated by a broad mid-latitude low in the Bight with a weak fetch of strong W/SW winds being produced through our western swell window. This fetch will persist tomorrow before moving off to the east Wednesday. A slight intensification in the South Coast's swell window tomorrow afternoon and evening should produce the best pulse of swell for later Wednesday/Thursday morning.

But coming back to tomorrow and the Mid should continue at 1-2ft, with small 1-2ft waves off Middleton (a bit bigger Waits and Parsons) while Wednesday should see more consistent 2ft surf on the Mid. Down South Middleton is only due to continue at 2ft Wednesday morning, building a little with the new better aligned swell, but only to 3ft max on the sets and more so towards Day St.

Both coasts should then ease Thursday from a similar size (2ft Mid Coast and 3ft Middleton).

An early period of light winds may be seen on the Mid Coast tomorrow, freshening from the NW tending W/NW into the afternoon. This will create clean conditions for the South Coast but remember without much size. Wednesday will see moderate W/NW tending W/SW winds, but when they weaken into the afternoon, the Mid Coast should be fun.

Thursday looks cleaner on both coasts with an early N/NE'ly on the Mid and N/NW breeze down South, swinging W/NW into the afternoon.

A temporary low point in swell is due early Friday, but a strong new W/SW groundswell will kick during the morning, peaking into the late afternoon.

An intense low that's currently north-east of Heard Island is generating a tight fetch of storm-force W/SW winds and will slowly weaken while pushing gradually east closer towards us over the coming couple of days, finally passing south-west of us Thursday evening while in a much weaker state.

A good long-period W/SW groundswell will be generated, building strongly Friday and reaching 4-5ft+ across Middleton into the afternoon with the Mid Coast kicking to an easy 2ft if not for the odd bigger one.

Conditions are looking great Friday morning with local offshore breezes, increasing from the N'th through the day. The Mid will likely see winds easing back from the N/NE light with improving conditions.

Into Saturday the W/SW groundswell will ease under fresh N/NW winds linked to an approaching front.

This front will bring with it another strong long-period W/SW groundswell, but also weather as it pushes through the Bight and across us over the weekend.

The swell is due to build through Sunday with strong winds from the western quadrant, but more on this Wednesday.