Southern Tasmania Surf Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Monday 13th February)

Best Days: Most days this week

Recap

Tiny waves to start the weekend but a new W/SW swell built into the afternoon, peaking Sunday to 2ft with a morning offshore.

Today a new swell was filling in, onshore and choppy to 2-3ft this morning, but more size should have been seen this afternoon although with poor conditions.

This week and next (Feb 11 - 17)

The polar front responsible for the current cold weather and stormy swell generated a trailing fetch of strong S/SW winds through our southern swell window today.

With this we should see a good reinforcing S/SW swell tomorrow afternoon as the current SW swell eases, with 2-3ft waves all day, easing back from 2ft on the sets Wednesday morning.

A morning W/NW'ly is expected tomorrow ahead of afternoon sea breezes, with N/NW tending variable winds on Wednesday.

Now, as touched on last update, our strong spike in W/SW groundswell is looking good for Thursday afternoon.

A strengthening mid-latitude front pushing in from the west is expected to generating a fetch of severe-gale to near storm-force W/SW winds through our immediate western swell window on Wednesday and early Thursday.

A moderate sized and long-period W/SW groundswell will result, building rapidly Thursday afternoon (tiny early) to 3-4ft by dark. Winds are looking good most of the day with a moderate to fresh NW'ly, giving into sea breezes mid-late afternoon as the swell kicks.

Come Friday the swell will ease quickly from 2ft+ as offshores continue.

Into the weekend some tricky but fun W/SW groundswell is due off a slow moving polar frontal progression under the country.

The progression will be best for SA and not ideally aimed at all for us, with the front pushing north-east and out of our swell window Friday evening.

We should see some good swell building Saturday afternoon to 2ft+ across Clifton from the early polar stages of the front, holding Sunday around 2ft and then easing.

Winds are looking decent most of the period, and from the NW. There's nothing due longer term, so make the most of the coming waves.