Cow Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Nova Scotia, Canada)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
Maps
Live
Weather State
Spot Information

Cow Bay Surf Guide

Cow Bay in East Shore is an exposed reef and point break that has quite reliable surf Offshore winds blow from the north northwest. Windswells and groundswells in equal measure and the ideal swell direction is from the east. Reef breaks provide lefts and rights Good surf at all stages of the tide. Rarely crowded here. Take care of the strong rips here.

Cow Bay Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef and point	3	fairly consistent	4.1°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Cow Bay:

The best conditions reported for surf at Cow Bay occur when a East swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the North-northwest.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Cow Bay (for consistent clean waves)?

novemberBest Season: spring

The best time of year for surfing Cow Bay with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Spring and most often the month of November. Clean surfable waves are typically found 16% of the time in November while 17% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 67% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

16%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

17%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

67%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Cow Bay Location Map

Interactive Cow Bay surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Cow Bay is Shearwater (Halifax) Airport (YAW) in Canada, 6 km (4 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Cow Bay is Halifax International Airport (YHZ), also in Canada, 31 km (19 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Cow Bay Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 03:43 Local Time

m, °C	Wednesday 06
ft, °F	0AM	3AM	6AM	9AM
Wave (m)	E	E	ESE	ESE
Period (s)	9	9	9	9
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- on	cross- on	cross- on	cross- on

What does Cow Bay look like?

Latest photos from Cow Bay. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Matt Robertson Credit: Meredith O'Neill

Tides at Cow Bay

Current tide and informaton

For Cole Harbour, 8 km from Cow Bay.

Next High Water: 11:58am | 1.37m

Next Low Water: 06:08am | 0.35m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Cow Bay Sea Temperature

The water temperature (4.1 °C) at Cow Bay is close to freezing. You will need a thick winter wetsuit, a neoprene hood, gloves and boots despite the sun. Expect relatively mild air temperatures and a windchill factor of (9.0 °C).

Today, many surfers would wear a winter wetsuit, a neoprene hood, gloves and boots.