South Australian Surf Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Wednesday January 24th)

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

Features of the Forecast (tl;dr)

• Tiny tomorrow
• Moderate sized mix of mid-period W/SW swell and groundswell building Fri PM, peaking Sat, easing slowly Sun
• Freshening W/SW-SW winds Fri
• S/SE tending fresh W/SW winds Sat, S/SW down South
• E/SE tending SW winds Sun, E/NE-NE down South
• N/NE tending SE winds Mon with fading surf
• Gusty S/SE-S winds Tue/Wed

Recap

Fun surf across the South Coast yesterday with offshore winds that freshened through the day and swung NW ahead of a shallow change into the late afternoon/evening. The swell was still a good 2ft or so with more size on the magnets, tiny to flat inside the gulf.

Today winds are lingering out of the south with a small to tiny swell across the South Coast, flat on the Mid Coast.

This week and weekend (25 - 28)

The end of the week looks poor for surf with the swell expected to bottom out tomorrow under variable morning winds.

Into Friday we should see our mix of mid-period and W/SW groundswell arriving into the afternoon, generated by a great frontal systems that's currently passing under Western Australia.

A fetch of strong W/SW winds with embedded gales has generated the W/SW groundswell component of the swell, with the remnants of the system due to continue east while generating weaker W/SW winds in our south-western swell window, producing some additional mid-period energy.

Both swells are due to build strongly Friday afternoon with the Mid Coast building to 2ft+, with 3ft+ sets across Middleton late though the frontal system will bring freshening W/SW-SW winds, creating poor conditions as the swell builds.

A peak in size is due Saturday with 2ft to occasionally 3ft sets due on the Mid Coast, 4ft across Middleton.

The easing trend will be slowed into Sunday with lingering 1-2ft sets likely on the Mid Coast, still 3ft down South but easing through the day, smaller Monday.

Looking at the local winds and the South Coast will remain bumpy and onshore Saturday with a moderate S/SW breeze, good on the Mid with a S/SE-SE offshore ahead of W/SW sea breezes.

Offshore E/SE winds are due Sunday morning in the gulf, light E/NE to possibly NE down South, but Monday looks best down South with an offshore N/NE breeze and easing 2ft+ sets across Middleton.

Make the most of this run of conditions and waves as winds will shift S'ly Monday evening with a trough passing through, freshening Tuesday and Wednesday, creating poor conditions.

Some small to tiny mid-period W/SW swell is likely later next week in the gulf, but more on this Friday.