Surf Forecasts:
Cox Bay surf forecast from 27 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 30 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 18s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 30 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 17s period, SSW swell with 510 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 15s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Cox Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Cox Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 27) at 5PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cox Bay in the next 16 days are 0.9m 17s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cox Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, it's Rusty here.
Well, looking at the next couple of weeks, it's not going to be a non-stop party, but there are definitely some windows where Cox Bay is going to turn it on. The start of the period is pretty quiet and small, so we'll have to be patient.
It's a bit of a slow burn to begin with. From Thursday the 27th through to the end of the month, we're looking at tiny, weak surf. The energy is there in the water but it's just not organized enough to give you much to work with. There's some swell around but the periods are short and the winds are a bit all over the shop, making it pretty average. You'd be fighting for scraps out there. That run of small days continues into the first couple of days of September, with a bit of a bump on the Wednesday the 2nd, but the wind is straight onshore and messy, so it's not worth getting too excited about.
The first real standout I can see is Thursday morning, the 3rd of September. The wind goes glassy with some light WNW airs, and that's when the swell starts to pick up. We're looking at a 5ft swell from the WNW with moderate energy (754). That's a far cry from the weak stuff we've had. It's clean, it's got some push, and it's going to be a lot of fun. This is the one to circle on the calendar that week. The afternoon sees it bump up to 6ft, but the wind swings onshore and it gets a bit lumpy, so make the most of the morning session.
Following that, the wave heights drop back a bit, but there's a beautiful run of clean, glassy conditions from Saturday the 5th onwards. The standout there is Saturday afternoon, with a glassy 3ft SSW swell and plenty of energy (573). The winds are dead light, the surface is going to be like a mirror, and the swell is holding a nice long period. It’ll be a bit smaller but super clean. The quality just keeps on coming through the next week. There are several days with very good conditions, most notably Tuesday the 8th and Wednesday the 9th of September. On Tuesday you've got glassy conditions with a 2-3ft W swell, and on Wednesday the wind is completely calm with similar sized waves. These are going to be super fun, long-period swells that will groom perfectly. The vibe will be good, just be mindful that long period stuff can close out a bit at the beach, but it should find some nice lines.
So, the pick of the lot for me is the Thursday morning session on September 3rd – best combination of size and clean conditions. The other real highlight is that run of glassy days from the 8th through the 10th. It's smaller, but the quality of the surf is going to be as good as it gets.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Thu morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Wed night, min 13°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 29mm), heaviest during Mon morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat night, min 12°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 19 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SSW 17 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | W 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
124 | 124 | 112 | 104 | 139 | 103 | 211 | 255 | 211 | 273 | 510 | 326 | 402 | 306 | 272 | 272 | 183 | 168 | 127 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | on | glassy | cross | on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 00:30AM3.23m | 1:27PM3.03m | 1:08AM3.26m | 1:55PM3.14m | 1:48AM3.25m | 2:23PM3.25m | 2:28AM3.20m | 2:52PM3.34m | 3:10AM3.10m | 3:23PM3.40m | 3:55AM2.96m | 3:57PM3.43m | 4:46AM2.79m | ||||||
Low Tide | 7:08AM0.48m | 7:09PM1.18m | 7:37AM0.47m | 7:47PM0.99m | 8:05AM0.52m | 8:25PM0.83m | 8:34AM0.63m | 9:05PM0.70m | 9:04AM0.81m | 9:48PM0.64m | 9:37AM1.03m | 10:35PM0.64m | |||||||
— | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | |
8:17 | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:12 | — | — | 8:09 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:06 | — | |
mm | 3 | 5 | 3 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
Temp °C | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 |
Feels °C | 14 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | SW 16 | SSW 6 | W 7 | W 6 | SW 14 | W 5 | WNW 7 | SSW 18 | W 7 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | WNW 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 |
115 | 122 | 47 | 43 | 33 | 103 | 29 | 77 | 211 | 146 | 510 | 326 | 402 | 141 | 173 | 169 | 168 | 164 | 127 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SSW 12 | SE 5 | SSW 6 | SW 14 | WSW 10 | SW 16 | SSW 17 | SW 13 | SSW 18 | W 7 | W 7 | W 8 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 |
124 | 48 | 13 | 24 | 103 | 20 | 211 | 255 | 44 | 273 | 49 | 37 | 45 | 306 | 272 | 272 | 183 | 168 | 118 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | WSW 11 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 19 | SW 5 | WSW 10 | SW 13 | WSW 10 | SW 13 | WSW 11 | W 11 | W 10 | S 10 | S 11 | SW 20 | SSW 19 | SSE 3 | SW 18 |
55 | 43 | 112 | 104 | 139 | 7 | 33 | 88 | 18 | 56 | 23 | 36 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 37 | 1 | 51 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 6 | — | — | W 6 | W 5 | WNW 5 | — | W 7 | WNW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 3 | — | — |
— | 124 | — | — | 56 | 28 | 40 | — | 103 | 203 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 17 | 119 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1386 | 0 | 17 | 1386 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 119 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Vancouver Island | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Canada | |||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Cox Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Cox Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Cox Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Cox 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 (Cox 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 Cox 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.
Cox Bay is 77 km (48 miles) from Gold River. If you plan a holiday in Vancouver Island, look for hotels and other accommodation in Gold River. Gold River has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











