Southern Tasmanian Surf Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Wednesday November 30th)

Best Days: Selected spots Thursday, Friday morning, Saturday morning, Sunday morning, Monday morning

Features of the Forecast (tl;dr)

• Moderate sized SW groundswell for Wed, easing later
• Moderate-large SW groundswell for Thu, peaking in the PM with dawn W/NW winds, shifting W/SW mid-morning and S/SW late AM, then fresh S/SE
• Easing swell Fri with N/NE winds, tending E/NE and increasing
• Fading surf Sat with N/NW tending SE winds
• Fun new SW swell building Sun with variable E/SE winds, freshening
• Easing surf Mon with variable tending SE winds

Recap

Solid surf yesterday with workable winds in the morning, deteriorating throughout the day before swinging back offshore into the evening with more size.

Today the swell is windy but still solid with 3ft+ sets across Clifton. Winds have just started to swing more onshore, creating bumpier but still decent surf.

Solid sets early this afternoon with bumpy conditions

This week and next week (Dec 1 – 9)

While the swell is sizey today, we're expected to see an even stronger swell building through tomorrow, peaking into the afternoon.

This has and is still being generated by a strong low that's moved in from the west, generating a fetch of severe-gale W/SW winds through our western, then south-western swell window.

The low is now south-west of us, pushing east and will bring a large SW groundswell for tomorrow.

The morning should be 3-4ft but an increase to 4-5ft+ is due through the afternoon across Clifton along with dawn W/NW tending W/SW winds mid-morning, then S/SW late morning and S/SE into the afternoon. This isn't ideal and the swell will be less than ideally angled in any case.

Friday looks the pick with easing surf from 3ft to occasionally 4ft along with a N/NE offshore ahead of E/NE sea breezes.

Smaller 1-2ft waves are due into Saturday with a N/NW offshore ahead of S/SE sea breezes.

Into Sunday a fun pulse of new SW swell is expected, generated by a weak low moving in from the west later week. A fetch of strong W/SW winds will move through our swell window and this should produce a fun 2ft wave on Sunday from mid-late morning along with variable E/SE morning winds, fresher into the afternoon.

The swell should ease Monday under a morning variable breeze again.

Longer term, there are a couple of smaller swell pulses on the cards but with unfavourable winds due to a trough in the region. More on this Friday.