Southern Tasmania Surf Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Friday 10th May)

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

Recap

No surf of note yesterday or this morning, but a new W/SW swell should be seen this afternoon to 2ft+ but with onshore winds.

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

This weekend and next week (May 11 - 17)

This afternoon's increase in W/SW swell is due to ease back tomorrow from 2ft and conditions will be much better with an early W/NW offshore, shifting W/SW mid-morning.

Our large and long-period SW groundswells for the weekend are still on track, but we're now due to really see a prolonged SW event instead of two seperate SW and W/SW pulses.

An initial fetch of severe-gale to storm-force W'ly winds have already been generated in our far swell window, east of Heard Island, with the frontal system continuing east towards us today while generating an additional severe-gale fetch.

This will weaken tomorrow, leaving a long-period SW groundswell to head towards us, arriving Sunday morning and building rapidly to 4-5ft across Clifton with persistent W'ly winds, likely tending W/NW later in the day.

A secondary fetch of severe-gale W/SW winds piggy backing right on the tail of the initial front will generate a reinforcing SW groundswell for Monday morning, keeping 3-5ft waves hitting Clifton, easing through the day.

Conditions look excellent with a N/NW-NW offshore, persisting all day.

A tight and intense low moving in from the west on Monday will produce a strengthening burst of W/SW gales mostly in our western swell window, with a polar W/SW fetch in our south-western swell window, generating a reinforcing swell for Tuesday keeping 3ft+ surf across Clifton, easing into the afternoon and smaller Monday.

Winds on Tuesday are now looking better with a W/NW breeze holding most of the day, better and NW Wednesday morning.

Longer term we've got an inconsistent but good SW groundswell on the cards for late week, produced by a distant polar low, while a trough moving in from the east looks to bring poor onshore winds on Friday and Saturday if it comes off as forecast. More on this Monday though. Have a great weekend!