South Australian Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Friday 1st March)

Best Days: Desperate surfers South Coast from midday tomorrow, Mid Coast Sunday afternoon and Monday, both coasts Thursday

Recap

Good clean fun waves across South Coast swell magnets yesterday morning, tiny on the Mid Coast, while today was clean again down South, but small and only surfable at Waits and Parsons.

Today’s Forecaster Notes are brought to you by Rip Curl

This weekend and next week (Mar 2 - 8)

It'll be a weekend of contrasts on the coast with hot offshore and clean conditions tomorrow, much cooler and with southerly winds Sunday.

A small and inconsistent S/SW groundswell is due to fill in tomorrow across the South Coast, tiny early and reaching a small 1-2ft at Middleton into the afternoon with 2ft to possibly 3ft sets at Waits and Parsons. A N/NE offshore should tend NW early afternoon W/NW into the late afternoon, so try the exposed beaches around midday-mid afternoon.

Sunday will be poor with a fresh S/SE breeze and small swell down South, but the Mid Coast should see a fun new mix of W/SW swells filling in.

This groundswell component was generated the last couple of days, west-southwest of WA by a good fetch of W/SW gales in our far swell window, with the remnants of the front generating a healthy fetch of strong W/SW winds under WA's South Coast towards the Bight. This will generate an additional mid-period swell which will provide the most consistent size, kicking to 1-2ft Sunday afternoon and holding 2ft Monday.

The South Coast should see inconsistent 2ft to occasionally 3ft sets across the Middleton stretch Monday but SE tending S/SE winds will continue to favour the Mid Coast.

A lighter S'ly wind is expected on Tuesday but the swell will be small and easing across both coasts.

Of greater importance is our moderate to large long-period SW groundswell due mid-late week.

A powerful low will form north of the Heard Island region this evening, with a small tight fetch of severe-gale to storm-force W'ly winds due to project east through our far western swell window, broadening in scope south-west of WA Sunday evening.

The low is expected to weaken south of the country Monday but still generate a broad and elongated fetch of W/SW gales in our south-western swell window before spawning a weak cold front. This front will project up and into us through Tuesday evening bringing a building mid-period SW swell, ahead of the groundswell proper over the top of it Wednesday, peaking later in the day/overnight and easing Thursday.

Middleton should build so a solid 4-5ft+ into the late afternoon Wednesday, while the Mid Coast will see 2ft+ of windswell and groundswell. Fresh and gusty SW winds will create average conditions across both coasts, excellent Thursday as the swell eases and an approaching front tips wind back to the N/NE, NW into the afternoon.

Friday looks clean as well with variable offshore wind and we may see another swell next weekend, but more on this Monday. Have a great weekend!