Windy period with windows of cleaner surf

Craig Brokensha picture
Craig Brokensha (Craig)

South Australian Surf Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Wednesday December 7th)

Best Days: Keen surfers Friday morning South Coast, South Coast swell magnets Saturday, best later in the day, South Coast Tuesday morning, Mid Coast Thusday next week

Features of the Forecast (tl;dr)

  • Tiny Wed AM, ahead of a moderate sized + SW groundswell building into the PM, peaking overnight, easing Thu
  • Gusty S winds down South Thu, S/SE on the Mid
  • Mod-fresh E/NE tending E/SE winds Fri with smaller, easing surf
  • Small background W/SW swell Sat/Sun with fresh NE winds Sat, tending N/NW later, strong W/SW tending SW Sun
  • Building windswell across both coasts Sun
  • Moderate + sized mid-period S/SW swell Mon with strong SW winds
  • Easing surf Tue with gusty W/NW tending SW winds
  • Moderate + sized S/SW swell for later Wed, peaking Thu with SE-S/SE winds

Recap

A tiny, fading swell across the Mid Coast yesterday, flat today. The South Coast saw an improvement in conditions as spots that handle east winds and the swell was weak and easing from 2ft+. Goolwa faired best before sea breezes kicked in through the day.

Today, a trough has brought strong onshore winds and terrible conditions with a low point in swell.

Peaky options midday yesterday

This week and next (Dec 8 - 16)

Into this afternoon a new, moderate sized + SW groundswell is due, generated by a strong low that formed south-west of Western Australia earlier this week.

The swell should build to 4ft+ across the South Coast and 1ft on the Mid Coast, peaking overnight and then easing from 4ft tomorrow and 1-1.5ft respectively across the Mid Coast.

A high should move in behind today's trough, bringing moderate to fresh S/SE winds on the Mid Coast, tending SE later, with strong S winds on the South Coast.

Friday will start to improve down South with a moderate to fresh E/NE breeze, though conditions for the most part will still be lumpy, peaky and raw. Goolwa will be best and sets should be easing from 2-3ft (tiny to flat on the Mid Coast).

Saturday will be smaller and back to 1-2ft across Middleton and winds will become gusty out of the NE, tending N/NW later in the day ahead of a strong W/SW tending SW change on Sunday.

A small reinforcing mid-period SW swell is due on Saturday afternoon, followed by a secondary increase on Sunday, generated by a broad, relatively weak but healthy low that's south-west of Western Australia.

Unfortunately it doesn't look to get above 2ft across Middleton and 1ft on the Mid Coast, and a local windswell from Sunday's change will kicked up a larger, close-range swell. The strong W/SW winds should kick up 2ft+ waves on the Mid Coast and 3ft surf down South, becoming bigger into Monday as the trough forms into a low and stalls south of us.

It'll be mid-period energy but sizey and to 3-5ft across the South Coast on Monday with continuing 2ft+ waves on the Mid Coast but with strong SW winds.

Another approaching low should tip winds back to the W/NW on Tuesday morning as the S/SW swell starts to ease from 4ft, swinging strong S/SW late morning and persisting Wednesday ahead of another good pulse of swell energy later in the day/Thursday to 4-5ft.

The Mid Coast only looks to come in at 1-2ft with this secondary swell as winds will improve on Thursday, shifting SE, creating clean conditions. Longer term it looks like we'll see a run of SE winds and smaller surf into next weekend and beyond. So try and make the most of the windows of cleaner, but not perfect conditions this period.

Comments

12345678's picture
12345678's picture
12345678 Wednesday, 7 Dec 2022 at 11:36am

Worst run of surf I have ever experienced this past year down here. Especially this spring absolutely terrible been not one decent swell on the mid either for so long

yahabo's picture
yahabo's picture
yahabo Wednesday, 7 Dec 2022 at 11:38am

Every time the winds finally swing north, the swell bottoms out. What a shitty three years of surf. La Nina can piss right off!!!!

Craig's picture
Craig's picture
Craig Wednesday, 7 Dec 2022 at 12:05pm

Yeah that's been the tend eh. Onshore and swell and then 1-2ft once it cleans up.

Major kong's picture
Major kong's picture
Major kong Wednesday, 7 Dec 2022 at 4:05pm

Is there any way I can block content
containing photos videos stories about how great the east coast is...

Craig's picture
Craig's picture
Craig Wednesday, 7 Dec 2022 at 4:35pm

Haha.

Oceanliving9356's picture
Oceanliving9356's picture
Oceanliving9356 Wednesday, 7 Dec 2022 at 5:57pm

Ah South Australia shit one day,even shittier the next

seabiped's picture
seabiped's picture
seabiped Wednesday, 7 Dec 2022 at 6:21pm

Best surf was when we had the drought.

jasper99's picture
jasper99's picture
jasper99 Thursday, 8 Dec 2022 at 9:59am

Reckon if you're relying on the mid and south coast for quality surf then therein lies the problem

john wise's picture
john wise's picture
john wise Thursday, 8 Dec 2022 at 1:58pm

the old saying rings true, prior to weather patterns knowledge was, good year on land for agriculture, bad year in the water, seems the case for last 3 years, yep a drought is needed for the surf to improve