Western Australia Surf Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Friday 5th January)

Best Days: Protected spots Saturday, Sunday morning across the South West and Mandurah, South West Monday morning, South West and Mandurah Tuesday morning

Recap

Tiny waves around Perth and Mandurah but Margs hung around 3-4ft with a good offshore wind during the morning.

Early this morning all locations saw clean conditions with variable breezes, but onshore winds moved in soon after first light and with the lack of decent size, it's now poor.

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This weekend and next week (Jan 6 - 12)

Today's onshore change is linked to a strengthening mid-latitude front right off the South West of the state, with a fetch of gale to severe-gale SW winds being generated late in our swell window.

This will kick up a large late increase in swell across the South West, with it due to ease just as quickly through tomorrow due to the front racing off to the east.

We should see surf in the 6ft range, with the possibility of the odd bigger one at dawn across the South West, easing rapidly, with easing 2ft sets around Mandurah and 1-2ft in Perth.

Winds should swing S/SE into tomorrow morning, favouring semi-protected breaks, while Sunday should be much cleaner with a SE-E/SE offshore wind through the morning.

A fun reinforcing S/SW swell is expected across the South West on Sunday, generated by a secondary fetch of strong SW winds projecting up behind the front moving through today.

This should 4-5ft sets at swell magnets through the day, peaking more so into the afternoon, with 1-1.5ft sets around Mandurah, 1ft in Perth.

The swell should ease back through Monday from with gusty SE winds.

Into next week moderate pulses of SW groundswell are expected by relatively weak but persistent polar fronts firing up between us and Heard Island.

Two main pulses are due, the first for Tuesday and to 4-6ft across the South West, 1-2ft in Mandurah and tiny in Perth, while a slightly better increase is likely Thursday.

Winds Tuesday morning look favourable and from the SE, while a turn to unfavourable S-SW breezes are expected Wednesday/Thursday. We'll have a closer look at this Monday. Have a great weekend!