Surf Forecasts:
Cow Bay surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 20 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 8s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 8s period, S swell with 681 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 8s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Cow Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Cow Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cow Bay in the next 16 days are 2.3m 8s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.0m 8s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (ADT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cow Bay over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 21mm), heaviest during Tue afternoon. Warm (max 23°C on Wed afternoon, min 17°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 40mm), heaviest during Fri night. Warm (max 22°C on Thu afternoon, min 15°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | S 4 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | S 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | S 8 | SE 7 | E 8 | SE 8 | S 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 12 | E 4 | SE 6 | S 6 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 6 | 11 | 128 | 94 | 409 | 181 | 192 | 196 | 67 | 31 | 69 | 44 | 52 | 51 | 30 | 29 | 23 | 31 | 83 | 32 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 00:23AM1.47m | 12:44PM1.56m | 1:12AM1.36m | 1:31PM1.48m | 2:08AM1.28m | 2:24PM1.41m | 3:13AM1.22m | 3:26PM1.37m | 4:22AM1.20m | 4:30PM1.37m | 5:26AM1.23m | 5:30PM1.41m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:49PM0.27m | 6:58AM0.36m | 7:35PM0.35m | 7:41AM0.48m | 8:25PM0.43m | 8:28AM0.58m | 9:21PM0.49m | 9:24AM0.66m | 10:25PM0.53m | 10:29AM0.69m | 11:32PM0.51m | 11:38AM0.68m | 00:31AM0.47m | |||||||
 |  |  |  |  | | |  | |  | | | | |  | |  |  | | | |
 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — |
 | 8:15 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:13 | — | — | 8:12 | — | — | 8:09 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:06 | — |
mm | — | 3 | 1 | 10 | 7 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 3 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 |
Temp °C | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 16 |
Feels °C | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 23 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 15 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 6 | SSE 8 | — | SSW 8 | SE 7 | S 8 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | S 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 6 | SE 12 | ESE 6 |
| kJ | 6 | 7 | 128 | 7 | — | 322 | 192 | 196 | 84 | 63 | 63 | 44 | 52 | 51 | 30 | 29 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 27 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | — | SW 6 | — | SE 7 | SSW 8 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | E 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 8 | SE 11 |
| kJ | 3 | 5 | — | 2 | — | 181 | 232 | 99 | 67 | 31 | 69 | 39 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 3 | 20 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 7 | E 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 8 | SE 6 | E 7 | E 8 | SE 14 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SSW 6 | SSE 9 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 19 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 3 | S 4 | — | SSE 6 | S 8 | — | — | SSW 8 | — | SW 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 3 | E 4 | E 4 | SE 6 | S 6 |
| kJ | 4 | 11 | — | 94 | 409 | — | — | 214 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 19 | 31 | 83 | 32 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 748 | 665 | 744 | 665 | 592 | 77 | 97 | 0 | 0 | 327 | 299 | 983 | 327 | 7 | 23 | 0 | 7 | 299 | 592 | 618 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Nova Scotia | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||
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FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Cow Bay surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Cow Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Cow Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Cow Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Cow Bay surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Cow Bay) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Cow Bay may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a holiday in Nova Scotia? If you are looking for accommodation near Cow Bay, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Nova Scotia, consider staying in Cole Harbour which is 8 km (5 miles) away. Other places in and around Nova Scotia where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Dartmouth which is 12 km (7 miles) away, Halifax, Kings County and East Hants.
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