Sydney, Hunter and Illawarra Surf Forecast by Guy Dixon (issued Monday 6th June)

Best Days: Each day of the week.

Recap: 

It’s been a wild few days with one of the strongest east/northeasterly swells in decade battering the NSW coast line. Over the weekend, stormy windswept conditions with an ECL built to a peak in the 10-12ft range on Sunday, with gale force onshore winds and flooding rains to match. Today, the breeze has let up and swung offshore on along the north side of the low allowing for very strong, but very impressive sets in the 10ft+ range, larger at offshore bombies.

Amongst the destruction, there some people are scoring all time waves.

This week (Tuesday 7th - Friday 10th):

This strong east/northeasterly swell will slowly ease in the coming days, although trailing energy from the main northeasterly fetch which remains well established over the Tasman Sea will provide multiple period pulses in quick succession.

This fetch is best aimed towards the South Coast of NSW and northern Tasmania, stretching almost as far north as New Caledonia.

A strong pulse late today should maintain sets in the 10ft range this afternoon, easing just a touch into Tuesday morning with sets in the 8ft+ range, likely the odd 10ft bomb. A second pulse is due on Tuesday afternoon, so I wouldn’t expect sets to fall below 8ft.

Wednesday morning should see the surf drop slightly further, but only by a small increment. Sets should be breaking in the 6-8ft range with exposed offshore reefs and bombs continuing to light up during the entire period.

The South Coast of NSW is likely to be bigger again due to the particularly good alignment of 50kt core fetches.

As the fetch drifts south and the alignment worsens, energy should also drop off fairly noticeably. Wednesday afternoon will probably ease relatively quickly, with Thursday easing from around the 4-6ft range.

A small intensification along the northern extension of this fetch (northeast of New Zealand) is forecast to provide a small pulse on Friday (maybe mid-morning), with sets breaking in 3-5ft range.

Conditions are likely to remain clean throughout the majority of the week, with winds swinging from west thru northwest each day. Only Friday will see the first hints of tending southwesterly, before a light seabreeze comes into play in the afternoon.

This weekend (Saturday 11th - Sunday 12th) and next week (Monday 13th onward):

The surf shouldn’t fall below around 3ft out of the east over the weekend and into early next week as the effects of this intensification fill in as it deepens and drifts eastward.

We should also have a small amount of southerly swell to contend with generated by a frontal progression moving to the south late week. The first signs of this energy may show themselves late on Friday at south facing beaches, more so on Saturday with sets in the 3ft+ range.

Sunday should see a better pulse of more substantial southwesterly core fetches over the southern Tasman Sea with sets moving into the 3-5ft range at south facing beaches, larger across the Hunter. 

Each morning of the weekend should remain clean under a west/southwesterly airflow, preceding a weak seabreeze each afternoon. Monday is looking good, with northwesterly breeze holding into the early afternoon.