South Australian Surf Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Friday June 23rd)

Best Days: Stormy options Mid Coast Sunday, South Coast Sunday morning and protected spots Monday morning, South Coast Tuesday, Mid Coast Tuesday morning

Features of the Forecast (tl;dr)

• NW windswell developing on the Mid Coast Fri, bigger Sat PM and holding Sun
• Strengthening N/NW winds tomorrow
• Large W'ly groundswell for the Mid Coast Sun (moderate in size down South) with strong N/NW tending W/NW winds, easing Mon with strong W/NW tending slightly weaker W winds
• Smaller Tue with N/NW winds
• Moderate sized S/SW swell building later Wed, peaking Thu with fresh S tending S/SW winds
• Reinforcing S/SW swell Fri with W/NW tending SW winds

Recap

Tiny, clean surf across the South Coast yesterday with nothing of note in the gulf. Today we've got a building NW windswell across the Mid Coast to a choppy 2ft, with the South Coast also increasing but with the west direction there's a wide range of sizes.

Middleton is 2ft while Goolwa is more 2-3ft but with a strong W'ly breeze.

This weekend and next week (Jun 24 - 30)

Having a quick look at the satellite imagery across the country and we can see the strong mid-latitude low (that's generating our large W'ly groundswell for this weekend) just at the western entrance of the Bight.

This low is generating a fetch of gale to even severe-gale W/SW-SW winds through our western swell window, with it just sitting within the Mid Coast's swell window. It's quite north in location, and not ideal for the South Coast, thanks to the blocking effects of Kangaroo Island to incoming west swells.

The groundswell is due to arrive tomorrow evening and peaking through Sunday morning, but ahead of this, tomorrow will see a building NW windswell further to 3ft in the gulf through the afternoon with strengthening N/NW winds.

The South Coast looks to be small and to 1-2ft or so.

Come Sunday, a mix of large W'ly groundswell and NW windswell should come in at 4ft, with the two combining to provide the odd 5ft peak. The metro beaches will also offer plenty of size but strong N/NW tending W/NW winds will create poor conditions.

The South Coast will be inconsistent but best in protected spots and through the morning with inconsistent sets to 4ft, larger and more to 5ft down at Goolwa.

The surf is due to ease into Monday across both regions along with gusty, slowly easing W/NW tending W winds. The Mid Coast will be bumpy/choppy and easing from 3ft for the keen with easing 3-4ft sets across Middleton.

Tuesday looks great down South as the swell continues to ease back from 2-3ft across Middleton but with a great N/NW offshore wind that is due to only shift NW into the afternoon. The Mid will also be fun with easing sets from 1-2ft with a morning N/NE-NE breeze.

Now, as touched on last update, a healthy Southern Ocean frontal system is due to move in behind the strong mid-latitude low, with a good fetch of pre-frontal strong to sub-gale-force W/NW winds followed by similar strength W/SW winds.

This will produce a moderate sized S/SW swell that's due to build later Wednesday but peak Thursday to a good 4ft across Middleton with 1ft waves on the Mid Coast.

A reinforcing pulse of S/SW swell is likely Friday, to a similar size but winds look dicey as a trough brings a S'ly change Wednesday evening which will shift more S/SW on Thursday. Friday could be cleaner with an early W/NW breeze but we'll have to have another look at this Monday. Have a great weekend!