Southern Tasmania Surf Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Wednesday 23rd August)

Best Days: Thursday morning, late Friday, Saturday morning, Sunday morning, Monday, Tuesday

Recap

A bit more swell than expected the last two days, especially yesterday, with 2-3ft waves reported both days. This is from favourably aligned polar frontal activity through our swell window.

This week and weekend (Aug 24 - 27)

The swell seen the last couple of days should ease through tomorrow, from a smaller 2ft during the morning along with morning NW wind, tending W/SW through the day.

The swell should bottom out early Friday but into the afternoon some new W/SW groundswell is due, ahead of our better SW groundswell Saturday.

The W/SW swell will be generated by a good pre-frontal fetch of W/NW gales moving in under the country over the coming days, with a late increase to 2ft expected across Clifton.

NW tending variable winds are due, keeping conditions relatively clean.

A much broader and elongated fetch of stronger polar W/SW gales should generate a larger SW groundswell for Saturday, with building sets to the 4ft range into the afternoon, easing from a similar size Sunday morning.

The easing trend will be softened by trailing fetches of strong to gale-force winds on the back of the main progression, with one additional pulse of fun swell due Tuesday/Wednesday as a more significant polar front fires up (we'll look at this Friday).

Winds on Saturday will be good with a morning W/NW breeze, tending W/SW into the afternoon, with NW tending W/SW winds Sunday and all day offshores Monday.

Longer term, after the mid-week pulse of swell, smaller swells are on the cards, but more on this Friday.