Southern Tasmanian Surf Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Friday May 19th)

Best Days: Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

Features of the Forecast (tl;dr)

• Fun SW swell for early tomorrow ahead of a stronger SW swell for the PM, holding Sun AM
• N/NW tending W winds tomorrow
• Mod-large close-range SW swell building Sun, with a SW groundswell for Mon, easing into the PM
• Strong W/SW-SW winds Sun, NW tending W/NW Mon
• Moderate sized, reinforcing S/SW swell for Tue AM, easing with NW winds
• Easing surf Wed with N/NW winds
• Building W/SW swell later Thu, peaking Fri with gusty W/NW-NW winds

Recap

Clean, fun easing surf from 2ft yesterday morning, less than ideal this morning with a front bringing onshore winds which have since tended more variable. A new pulse of SW swell should build to 3ft by dark today, with sets now a more consistent 2ft.

This weekend and next week (May 20 - 26)

This afternoon's building swell is due to ease back temporarily into tomorrow morning with 2-3ft sets due across Clifton with N/NW tending NW winds, though a new pulse of reinforcing mid-period SW swell is due into the afternoon. This is being generated by a frontal system that's currently south-west of us, with consistent 3ft sets due, holding Sunday morning.

Moving into Sunday and a fast tracking but strong frontal system pushing up and into us will bring a strong W/SW-SW change that will persist all day, mixed in with a moderate-large increase in localised swell.

Choppy 4-5ft+ waves are due, with Monday offering cleaner options along with a reinforcing SW groundswell, generated gale-force winds at the core of the frontal progression.

This should maintain 4-5ft+ waves through Monday as winds shift back to the N/NW-NW locally, tending W/NW through the day.

Tuesday looks smaller, but a reinforcing pulse of mid-period S/SW swell should slow the easing trend, produced by a trailing frontal system generating strong to gale-force W/SW winds on the shelf, south-west of us Sunday.

This should maintain 3ft+ sets across Clifton, easing through the day and with NW winds, smaller Wednesday under a persistent N/NW offshore.

Longer term we're due to see a more northerly positioned but significant frontal progression firing up west-southwest of us Thursday.

We'll see moderate levels of W/SW swell energy from this source, building later Thursday but peaking Friday to 4-5ft or so. Winds look good and out of the W/NW-NW, but we'll have a closer look at this on Monday. Have a great weekend!