Southern Tasmania Surf Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Wednesday 8th May)

Best Days: Beginners tomorrow morning, keen surfers Saturday morning, Sunday protected spots, Monday

Recap

Tiny surf yesterday, lifting a touch with a new S/SE groundswell today, but under the expected 2ft+.

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

This week and weekend (May 9 - 12)

Any small and inconsistent S/SE groundswell seen today will fade tomorrow leaving tiny waves on the coast, ideal for beginners with a freshening N/NW tending N breeze.

Our new building W/SW groundswell and onshore winds for Friday are still on track, with the front generating the swell and bringing the change currently south of WA. It's producing a good fetch of strong to near gale-force W/SW winds in our western swell window and will move across us tomorrow evening.

Winds will consequently be poor and moderate from the S/SW Friday morning, with the swell building to a good 2ft+ into the afternoon across Clifton. A drop in size is then expected on Saturday from 2ft with a morning W/NW breeze, shifting W/SW into the afternoon.

Our long-period groundswells for Sunday and Monday have been upgraded a touch since the last update, with the initial polar low linked to Sunday's SW groundswell due to be much stronger.

This low will form east of the Heard Island today and project a fetch of severe-gale to storm-force W'ly winds through our swell window over the coming days, weakening into Saturday morning.

A secondary front will then fire up on the tail of the initial storm, generating an additional fetch of severe-gale to possibly storm-force W'ly winds at a slightly more northern latitude.

Two seperate long-period groundswells are expected, the first from the SW and arriving Sunday, kicking to a solid 4-5ft across Clifton along with W tending W/SW winds, possibly tending back W/NW on dark.

The secondary front will generate a more west W/SW groundswell for Monday morning, keeping 3-5ft sets hitting Clifton, easing off through the afternoon. Winds are looking excellent and offshore from the N/NW all day with another approaching front.

This front looks to produce some good reinforcing W/SW groundswell for Tuesday to 3-4ft, easing through the day and with less favourable W/SW winds as it passes through.

Longer term there'll be plenty of fun cleaner surf through Wednesday, with a new SW groundswell due to fill in later week, but more on this Friday.