South Australian Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Monday 2nd October)

Best Days: South Coast Tuesday and Wednesday morning, Mid Coast Tuesday for small clean waves, South Coast Saturday and Sunday morning

Recap

Lots of swell across the South Coast over the weekend but conditions were lumpy and bumpy Saturday morning, worse into the afternoon, while Sunday was much cleaner with a better W/NW breeze lasting until mid-morning along with strong amounts of S/SW groundswell to 4-6ft.

The Mid Coast was around the 1-1.5ft mark all weekend with bumpy conditions Saturday, more lumpy Sunday with variable winds.

Today the swell is still strong with some great reinforcing SW energy keeping the size up down South with light offshore winds, while the Mid Coast was hanging in at 1-1.5ft.

We should see a bit more power across the South Coast into this afternoon as the longer-period groundswell fills in, reaching 5ft across Middleton while the Mid Coast should see 2ft sets on the incoming tide.

This week and weekend (Oct 3 - 8)

Today's and more so this afternoon's reinforcing SW groundswell was generated over the weekend by an impressive broad and elongated fetch of W/NW-W gales moving from south-west of WA, under the country.

We should see the swell hang in tomorrow morning to a similar 5ft off Middleton, with 1-1.5ft waves on the Mid (possibly a couple of 2ft'ers if we're lucky) before easing slightly into the afternoon, more noticeably Wednesday.

Conditions are looking excellent tomorrow and Wednesday morning with a straight offshore N'ly wind down South (NE on the Mid Coast) tending variable into the middle of the day/early afternoon ahead of sea breezes.

Fresher N'ly winds are then due on Wednesday, tending N/NW and then W/NW ahead of a late W/SW change. Therefore get in during the morning for the best waves.

This late change is linked to a deepening surface trough drifting in from the west, bringing poor conditions into Thursday with a building S'ly windswell, easing into Friday as winds tend back to the E/NE.

The South Coast should build to messy 3-4ft or so while the fetch will be too south to really impact the Mid Coast.

Friday will be peaky but OK in protected spots out of the east wind with easing 3ft sets out of the S'th.

Into the weekend winds will swing back more offshore with a vigorous frontal system approaching from the west, resulting in NE-N/NE breezes Saturday and N/NW tending W'ly winds on Sunday as the front starts to move through.

Some inconsistent SW groundswell is due Saturday morning and Sunday from unfavourably aligned and short-lived W/NW fetches through the south-east Indian Ocean and under WA over the coming days.

Middleton should see infrequent 2ft to occasionally 3ft waves Saturday morning, easing into the afternoon with a slightly better and similar sized increase for Sunday. The Mid Coast is likely to see 1ft waves creating ideal conditions for beginners.

Longer term the strong frontal progression moving in from the west should generate some good W/SW groundswell into early next week, but more on this Wednesday.