Western Australia Surf Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Monday 21st July)

Best Days: Small windows Wednesday and Thursday mornings north of Margs

Recap

The weekend was poor across most breaks with only a short-lived period of favourable winds around Perth and Gero Saturday morning. Sunday was a write off and same with today with onshore winds and building swells around Margs and Perth, although Gero saw a period of favourable N/NE winds this morning.

This week onwards (Jul 21 onwards)

As touched on last week, this week is looking average for surf as a series of mid-latitude fronts push into us from the Southern Indian Ocean.

This will bring with it large pulses of W/SW groundswell but poor winds for the most part as a strong node of the Long Wave Trough moves in and stalls across us through the end of the week/weekend.

The trick will be to surf around the windows of lighter winds and this will be between frontal passages.

So initially a large pulse of W/SW groundswell is due to build through tomorrow but with strong onshore S/SW winds.

The swell should drop through Wednesday and in the wake of the front we should see variable winds develop around Perth and Gero, likely from the SE. Size size Perth should ease from 2-3ft, while Gero should back off from 4-5ft.

Thursday morning will be another opportunity to get wet north of Margs with variable tending offshore winds but a low point in swell activity.

Into the end of the week and more so the weekend, a very large and powerful W/SW groundswell is due owing to a mid-latitude front deepening significantly south-east of South Africa, producing a fetch of severe-gale to storm-force W'ly winds on top of an already active sea state.

We may see this swell arriving later Friday but winds will be poor and strengthening from the N/NW. As the swell peaks Saturday likely in the 12-15ft+ range around Margs, 3-4ft+ in Perth and 8-10ft around Gero, winds will be poor and from the W/SW-SW.

Sunday won't be any better as another front approaches bringing pre-frontal W/NW winds ahead. Another large pulse of W/SW groundswell is due behind this front, filling in Monday, but more on this Wednesday.