Sydney, Hunter and Illawarra Surf Forecast by Guy Dixon (issued Wednesday 11th May)

Best Days: Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Sunday morning swell magnets

Recap: 

Easterly trade-swell has been steadily fading over the past couple of days, with Tuesday offering options in the 2-3ft range, easing to very inconsistent 2ft by the afternoon. Today, the bigger sets are few and far between and are struggling to reach the 2ft mark.

On the plus side, conditions remained clean under a persistent northwesterly airflow.

This week (Thursday 12th - Friday 13th):

The long wave trough is steadily becoming more active over the region and frontal activity is becoming frequent as a result.

The first of multiple fronts moved to the south overnight steering two favourable fetches through our southern swell window. A westerly fetch exiting Bass Strait will cause southerly energy to build throughout this afternoon, providing sets in the 3ft+ range across south facing beaches, larger across the Hunter.

This westerly fetch has remained slow moving and should maintain good energy in the 3-4ft range into Thursday morning. However, a second pulse southerly groundswell generated by stronger, more distant southwesterly fetches at the base of this front will fill in during mid-morning, providing sets in the 3-5ft range, once again, larger across the Hunter.

Continued frontal activity of a very similar nature/structure will continue throughout the remainder of the week, providing frequent pulses, just under a day apart.

With the passage of each front, the sea-state will become more active, allowing for more effect swell generation.

The next system looks to move in a more zonal nature, with fetches displaying more of a west/southwesterly alignment. Nevertheless, these fetches look broad and strong. Mid-range energy from over eastern parts of Bass Strait should arrive at a similar time to the longer range energy with sets in the 3-5ft on Friday morning, larger across the Hunter.

Conditions are likely to remain clean and workable for the remainder of the week as west/northwesterly breezes persist, with only Friday afternoon showing a small chance of a light seabreeze.

This weekend (Saturday 14th - Sunday 15th):

A third, weaker front looks to move through late on Thursday night and into Friday morning, providing a pulse for Saturday morning. 

South facing beaches should pick up sets in the 3-4ft range, easing further into Sunday with options in the 2-3ft range generated by a small but very intense low, easing as it moves east across our southern swell window.

Saturday morning is looking clean under a northwesterly breeze, however an afternoon northeasterly looks to come up, having an impact on wave shape. Sunday on the other hand looks clean for most of the day, with offshore breezes winds dropping into the afternoon

Next week (Monday 16th onward):

Following a brief lull across the Southern Ocean, a modest front looks to move in a zonal motion with moderate intensity on Sunday, providing a small increase into Monday afternoon with sets building to around 2-3ft at south facing beaches.

The morning holds the best chance of a clean wave under a northwesterly breeze, becoming light northeasterly throughout the afternoon.

Further ahead, the fronts look to continue, although with a similar track and intensity to Monday’s pulse. Pulses of southerly swell look to fill in every couple of days with sets in the 2-3ft range.