Excellent run of surf ahead

Craig Brokensha picture
Craig Brokensha (Craig)

Eastern Tasmania Surf Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Friday 14th February)

Best Days: Every day this period

Recap

A drop in NE swell back to 3ft yesterday with favourable winds for the swell magnets, smaller today but clean early with variable winds.

This weekend and next week (Feb 15 - 21)

Well, tracking the movements, swell timings and sizes from Tropical Uesi down the East Coast, we've seen large waves mostly around 8-10ft impacting northern NSW through Sydney and now 8ft surf across the South Coast.

We should see the groundswell from the southward projection of Uesi filling in tomorrow and it looks like there was a captured fetch scenario across NSW, with the peak in size arriving earlier and bigger than we expected.

So from tomorrow morning we should hopefully be seeing inconsistent but strong sets to 5-6ft, increasing quickly to 8ft on the biggest ones likely by midday and holding into the afternoon from a NE direction.

North-east magnets will see all the size, smaller away from these breaks, but come Sunday we'll see the swell coming more from the bottom flank of the extra-tropical transition of Uesi, and out of the E/NE.

Good easing sets from the 6ft range are due, smaller Monday and back from 3ft+ or so.

Looking at the local winds and a dawn W'ly offshore is due to give into a gusty S'ly change shortly thereafter tomorrow, favouring southern corners, S tending S/SE on Sunday.

Monday looks a little dicey but we'll hopefully see early S'ly winds, variable, before swinging onshore out of the E.

Moving into Tuesday and Wednesday, and our large reinforcing pulse of E/SE groundswell is still on track, with the remnants of Uesi due to move down towards New Zealand's South Island. As it does so an initial broad fetch of strong SE winds Sunday should produce a good pulse of mid-period SE swell for Tuesday, with E/SE gales on Sunday evening and Monday morning generating a larger E/SE groundswell for Wednesday morning.

Size wise, Tuesday should build back to 4-5ft through the day across open beaches, with Wednesday seeing 5-6ft sets, easing through the day, smaller Thursday.

Conditions look good Tuesday morning with an offshore wind ahead of NE sea breezes, while Wednesday looks to improve through the day as a broad low moves in from the north-west bringing strong SE tending S/SE winds.

This will also generate more swell later week, but more on this Monday. Have a great weekend!