Western Australia Surf Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Wednesday 23rd August)

Best Days: Swell magnets in the South West tomorrow morning, Friday morning, Saturday, Sunday and Monday mornings in the South West

Recap

Good surf across Perth and Mandurah yesterday with a new swell and offshore winds, while the South West was poor early, improving mid-morning with a S/SE change before winds swung back S/SW.

This morning conditions were finally clean around Margs but the swell small and easing from the 3-4ft range. Mandurah and Perth we're also clean with easing sets in the 2ft range.

This week and weekend (Aug 24 - 27)

The surf should continue to ease into tomorrow with fading 3ft+ sets across swell magnets in the South West and 1-1.5ft surf to the north with light offshore winds.

We look towards Friday when a new SW groundswell is due, followed by a better S/SW groundswell into Saturday.

These swells are being generated by a strong polar frontal progression to our south-west and then south.

A pre-frontal fetch of W/NW gales will generate the SW swell, with Margs due to see 3-4ft+ sets Friday, tiny to the north, while a broader and stronger fetch of post-frontal W/SW gales should generate a better S/SW groundswell for later in the day but more so Saturday morning.

Margs should see 5-6ft sets with tiny 1-1.5ft sets further north, easing during the day and down further Sunday.

Conditions are looking excellent for these swells with a light E/SE offshore Friday morning, with afternoon sea breezes and then E/SE tending S/SE winds Saturday. Sunday should see straight E'ly winds, tending lighter SE into the afternoon as the S/SW swell eases.

Longer term there's nothing major into next week besides a very inconsistent and long-period W/SW groundswell mid-week, but this is currently being generated under South Africa in our far far swell window.

More on this Friday.