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

Best Days: This morning, tomorrow South Coast, Monday morning both coasts, Tuesday both coasts

Features of the Forecast (tl;dr)

• Mix of easing W/SW and SW swells tomorrow with strengthening NE tending N/NE winds, then weaker N/NW later
• Tiny Fri with strengthening N/NW tending W/NW winds
• Moderate+ sized W swell building Sat with strong NW-W/NW winds
• Moderate + sized mid-period W/SW swell for Sun/Mon (building Sun PM down South), easing Tue
• Fresh W/SW winds Sun, likely W/NW early around Victor
• W/SW-SW winds tending S on Mon, likely light, locally offshore in the AM
• Light, local offshore winds Tue AM

Recap

Winds were less than favourable for both coasts yesterday but doable surf wise with a moderate sized W/SW swell to 2ft+ across the Mid Coast and 2-3ft off Middleton, building a little more into the afternoon with some new SW energy.

Today is the pick of the period for the gulf with clean, consistent 2ft surf under an offshore breeze, a little lumpy down south but a good 3-4ft and on the improve. Sea breezes will kick in through the afternoon so make the most of this morning.

Great waves this morning

This week and weekend (Oct 3 - 6)

Tomorrow is still the pick of the period for the exposed beaches on the South Coast with today’s mix of W/SW and SW energy due to ease steadily under a strengthening NE tending N/NE breeze, shifting weaker N/NW into the late afternoon.

This will see conditions improve through the morning with smaller but great surf for the late session. Easing sets are due from 3ft at dawn across Middleton, down to 1-2ft later with the Mid Coast easing from 1-1.5ft but being choppy and wind affected.

Friday and Saturday look like lay days with a low point in swell and a strengthening N/NW tending W/NW breeze on the former, strong NW-W/NW all day Saturday.

This will see a localised swell kicked up across the Mid Coast, reaching 2ft+ through the day while some better mid-period W/SW swell is due Sunday/Monday.

The source will be a healthy mix of weak frontal systems moving under the country from tomorrow evening through the weekend, with various fetches of storing W/SW-W winds due to generate moderate sized + pulses of mid-period W/SW swell.

The first for Sunday should come in at 2ft+ across the Mid Coast with the secondary pulse maintaining similar sized waves on Monday, easing slowly from 1-2ft on Tuesday.

The South Coast looks limited in size owing to the westerly direction, with building sets towards 3ft across Middleton Sunday afternoon, easing slowly from a similar size on Monday, down from 2ft+ Tuesday.

Local winds on Sunday morning will be fresh out of the W/SW, with a period of W/NW winds likely around Victor early, with Monday seeing weaker W/SW tending SW winds, with light, local offshores possible across both regions (we’ll review this Friday).

Tuesday should be clean and fun across both regions as the swell eases with an E-E/NE offshore inside the gulf, with NE winds down South.

Longer term, the progression of healthy but not overly significant storms moving in from the west looks to continue, but more on this Friday.