Southern Tasmania Surf Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Wednesday 29th August)

Best Days: Thursday, Friday, early Saturday, Sunday protected spots Monday morning, Tuesday

Recap

Poor onshore winds yesterday and this morning, spoiling a mix of SW and SE swells.

Today’s Forecaster Notes are brought to you by Rip Curl

This week and weekend (Aug 30 – Sep 2)

An inconsistent long-range SW groundswell is expected to arrive later today, peak overnight and ease slowly tomorrow from 2ft across Clifton, generated over the weekend by a strong polar low south-west of WA.

There'll also be a small hint of E/SE swell further down the South Arm and conditions are looking much better with a light N/NW tending fresh N/NE breeze.

Into Friday we'll see the first of two small SW groundswells due across the state, generated by pre-frontal W/NW and then post-frontal W/SW gales.

The first pulse for Friday should come in at a good 2ft to occasionally 3ft, with a secondary similar sized pulse for Saturday morning. Winds should be good most of Friday with a N/NW tending W/NW breeze, and then less favourable W tending strong W/SW winds Saturday as a vigorous front pushes across us.

This front will form tomorrow afternoon and evening, south of WA, and project a fetch of W/SW-SW gales ideally towards us, through our south-western swell window, weakening but continuing to aim a fetch of strong to gale-force S/SW winds through our southern swell window into Saturday evening, moving off to the east Sunday.

We'll see a moderate sized SW swell building Saturday afternoon with onshore winds, large out of the SW and tending more S/SW through Sunday.

Clifton should see easy 6ft sets Sunday with good conditions for protected locations under a strong but easing SW wind.

Winds look as if they'll swing back NW for a period Monday morning as the swell eases from 3-4ft.

Longer term a fun new SW groundswell is expected on Tuesday with favourable winds, smaller thereafter. More on this Friday though.