South Australian Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Wednesday 23rd August)

Best Days: Friday South Coast, Saturday and Sunday morning South Coast, Monday South Coast

Recap

Tiny onshore waves across the Mid Coast yesterday and today, while the South Coast saw improving conditions with a strengthening swell yesterday, even better this morning with good consistent clean 3ft waves off Middleton.

An onshore change is incoming, with it due early afternoon, so get out there now.

This week and weekend (Aug 24 - 27)

Today's mix of SW swells should ease off slowly through tomorrow but winds look to linger onshore in the wake of this afternoon's change. There is a very slim chance of a light W'ly wind at dawn around Victor, but there are better days to come.

The Mid Coast will be onshore and tiny with fading 0.1-5ft sets.

Friday will be a bit smaller with 2ft to occasionally 3ft waves along the Middleton stretch under a light W/NW-NW breeze. Late in the day we should start to see some new SW swell energy filling in, produced by a good pre-frontal fetch of W/NW gales moving under the country today and tomorrow.

This swell should peak Saturday morning in the 3-4ft range across Middleton, ahead of a large S/SW groundswell into the afternoon.

The S/SW component will be produced by a much broader and elongated fetch of slightly stronger W/SW gales moving slowly through our southern swell window.

We should see larger levels of S/SW groundswell building through Saturday afternoon, with a peak overnight and easing trend through Sunday.

Middleton is expected to build to 4-6ft later in the day, easing back from the 4-5ft range Sunday morning.

The swell isn't great for the Mid Coast, with 1-1.5ft sets due on the favourable parts of the tide Saturday, easing from a similar size Sunday.

The easing trend will be slowed by reinforcing S/SW swell, produced by a trailing fetch of strong to gale-force W/SW winds on the back of the main progression.

Now coming back to the winds that were in contention on Monday, and we're looking at great conditions Saturday with a light offshore N/NW tending variable wind from the W, and then light N tending S/SE winds Sunday.

Monday should be clean again as the swell eases with N/NE offshores ahead of weak sea breezes. Longer there's nothing too major on the cards, but more on this Friday.