
Surf Forecasts:
Cox Bay surf forecast from 16 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 22 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 11s period, WNW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 21 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 12s period, WNW swell with 1,697 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 16 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 7s period with WNW 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 Wednesday (Sep 16) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 16s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cox Bay in the next 16 days are 2.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 21) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 3s period and expected on Friday (Sep 18) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Wed 16th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Tue 22nd Sep) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Mon 21st Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cox Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
There’s a bit of a wait before anything decent shows up – nothing good until the 18th. Early on it’s flat and junky, just 3ft of weak cross-shore slop, not worth suiting up for. Thursday the 18th is where it switches: clean, light offshore, swell swinging southwest, around 1-2ft but glassy and tidy. Fun little wave for the beginners at Cox Bay (beach and point setup), not big but clean.
Friday and Saturday are blown out – onshore winds, weak 2ft slop, poor shape. Skip it.
Monday the 21st jumps up – from 3-4ft building to 8ft by afternoon – but the WNW wind is ripping at 25-40 km/h, cross-onshore and messy. The energy’s there but it’s all chop. Not your day unless you like getting hammered.
Here’s the standout: Tuesday the 22nd. Glassy, calm, dead-still morning with a clean 5ft W swell rolling in, period around 11 seconds. Combined energy sits at 866 – moderate, but the clean face makes it feel way better. This is the pick of the whole run. The afternoon fades a touch with a light cross-onshore ripple, but the morning is pure gold.
Wednesday the 23rd pushes to 6ft, still rideable but the period drops to 10s and the wind gets a bit more cross-shore. Afternoon’s a little better with light southerly airs, but it’s marginal – more walled-up and less forgiving.
Thursday the 24th drops back to 4-5ft, W swell, light cross-onshore. Clean-ish but nothing special. Friday the 25th is a big day – 8ft in the morning jumping to 10ft by afternoon, but it’s short-period WNW windswell at 8 seconds, wind up at 20 km/h. That’s big, steep, and choppy – expert territory only, and even then it’s messy.
Saturday the 26th stays big at 6-7ft but the period’s still short at 8s, wind cross-onshore and lumpy. Poor quality – that’s more of a kite session than a surf session at a beach break. Sunday the 27th drops fast – 3ft in the morning, 1-2ft by afternoon, but the wind’s still onshore and choppy. Not worth it.
Then we get a second clean window: Monday the 28th starts glassy with a 3ft W swell, light offshore in the morning – clean but small. Tuesday the 29th is the real gem for the back half: morning glass, 5ft W swell, 11s period, energy at 808 – clean, punchy, and well-shaped. Afternoon pushes to 7ft with a light cross-onshore, still good but a touch lumpier.
Wednesday the 30th holds at 5-6ft but the period drops to 10s and the wind goes light cross-shore – glassy-ish but with a little ripple. Finally, Thursday the 1st of October cleans right up – light offshore, 4ft W swell, 9s period – a nice cruiser to close out the run.
Water’s about average for this time of year, nothing weird. Crowds at Cox Bay are always a possibility, especially on those clean days like the 22nd and 29th – get out early.
Overall, the standouts are Tuesday the 22nd and Tuesday the 29th – both glassy, clean, with solid W swell. The first week’s a bit of a mixed bag, but those two mornings are pure gold. The long-range stuff is promising but keep an eye on the wind – anything over 8ft here is big and better left to the experts.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed night, min 13°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun afternoon, min 12°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNW on Fri night, strong winds from the WNW by Mon afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | ||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 7 | SW 16 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SW 21 | SSW 16 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 19 | SW 18 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
108 | 91 | 114 | 291 | 186 | 232 | 306 | 160 | 146 | 236 | 236 | 179 | 197 | 307 | 321 | 354 | 414 | 1697 | 1311 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 4:47AM2.73m | 4:20PM3.16m | 5:39AM2.54m | 4:59PM3.00m | 6:47AM2.40m | 5:51PM2.85m | 8:22AM2.37m | 7:09PM2.74m | 9:47AM2.45m | 8:37PM2.74m | 10:37AM2.59m | 9:46PM2.83m | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:28PM0.75m | 10:10AM1.53m | 11:16PM0.91m | 10:49AM1.74m | 00:15AM1.05m | 11:39AM1.91m | 1:28AM1.14m | 12:57PM2.02m | 2:43AM1.14m | 2:47PM2.00m | 3:47AM1.05m | 3:59PM1.84m | 4:38AM0.94m | ||||||
— | 7:00 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | |
— | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:25 | — | — | 7:23 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 14 |
Feels °C | 15 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SW 19 | WNW 8 | SW 18 | SW 18 | W 8 | W 13 | SW 18 | W 11 |
108 | 91 | 114 | 291 | 186 | 232 | 306 | 128 | 56 | 73 | 49 | 179 | 45 | 307 | 321 | 152 | 414 | 366 | 910 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 19 | SW 19 | SSW 18 | SW 21 | SSW 16 | WNW 9 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SSW 14 | SW 18 | W 8 | SSW 13 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SSW 12 | SW 17 |
87 | 86 | 86 | 74 | 170 | 61 | 117 | 102 | 46 | 236 | 236 | 82 | 197 | 64 | 70 | 354 | 370 | 31 | 358 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 16 | SW 24 | SW 22 | SSW 18 | SW 21 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | S 11 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | S 10 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | — | SSW 12 |
37 | 37 | 22 | 39 | 22 | 73 | 61 | 160 | 146 | 95 | 85 | 2 | 51 | 71 | 2 | 44 | 16 | — | 15 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 3 | — | — | — | WNW 8 | WNW 4 | — | W 8 | — | W 6 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | 58 | 6 | — | 72 | — | 151 | 1697 | 1311 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 119 | 151 | 0 | 119 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 151 | 825 | 9 | 93 | 825 | 123 | 1249 | 1254 | 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.










