Surf Forecasts:
Cox Bay surf forecast from 15 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 16 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 17s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 12s period, W swell with 625 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 14 Aug, 11PM (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 Friday (Aug 14) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cox Bay in the next 16 days are 1.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Fri 14th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Sun 16th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cox Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. We’ve got a 16-day window for Cox Bay, and I’ll be straight with you – it’s a slow start and a mixed bag overall. The water temp is sitting right around average for this time of year at 59°, nothing unusual there.
The first week is pretty quiet. We’re looking at small, messy swells with a lot of onshore and cross-shore wind. The energy is mostly weak to moderate, with the combined swell energy reading between 162 and 548 (units). It’s not until Tuesday the 18th afternoon that we see a real glimmer of hope. That afternoon, the wind goes glassy, and we’ve got a 2 ft SSW swell with a 14-second period – that’s a long-period groundswell that’ll have some shape at this beach-and-point setup. The energy is moderate (466). It’s the first real standout, but it’s small.
Then on Thursday the 20th afternoon, we get another glassy window, with a 2 ft SSW swell, 16-second period, and moderate energy (455). That’s clean, but again small.
The real potential starts to build around the 22nd, Saturday morning – glassy conditions with a 3 ft W swell, but the period drops to 9 seconds, so it’s less powerful (267 energy). The afternoon gets a bit bigger at 4 ft, but the period drops to 8 seconds and the wind turns cross-onshore, so it’s messy.
Sunday the 23rd morning pushes up to 5 ft from the WNW, but with a short 8-second period and cross-on wind – that’s not great for paddle surfing, but with that size and short period, a kiter might have a better time. The afternoon is even worse with onshore wind.
Now, the second week brings a shift. Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th drop right back to tiny 1 ft to 2 ft SW swells, long period (17-18 seconds), but weak energy (212-258). Not much to ride.
The real standout for the whole forecast comes on Wednesday the 26th morning and afternoon, and into Thursday the 27th morning. We finally get offshore winds, which is huge for Cox Bay. Wednesday morning has a light cross-offshore breeze from the ESE, with a 2 ft, 16-second SW swell (256 energy) – clean but small. The afternoon is where it gets good: a moderate offshore wind from the ESE, 3 ft W swell, but the period is short at 8 seconds (276 energy). That’s clean, punchy, and fun. Thursday morning keeps the offshore flow, with a 4 ft W swell, 7-second period (277 energy) – still clean, short-period waves that’ll be quick and fun for the more experienced surfers. The afternoon on Thursday the 27th eases off with a cross-offshore breeze, 3 ft W swell, 7 seconds (187 energy) – clean but small.
The last few days from the 28th onward fizzle back into small, onshore junk.
So, where’s the best? For clean, small-wave fun, the Tuesday 18th afternoon and Thursday 20th afternoon glassy sessions are your best bet early on. But the real highlight is the Wednesday 26th afternoon through Thursday 27th morning – that’s the cleanest, strongest swell window with offshore wind. The waves will be short-period but punchy, and the offshore wind will make them glassy. It’s deep in the forecast, so keep an eye on it, but it’s the one to pencil in.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat morning, min 14°C on Fri afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Wed night, min 13°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SW 16 | SSW 20 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | WNW 7 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | W 12 | W 12 | W 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | W 11 | WNW 7 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
119 | 149 | 139 | 280 | 276 | 339 | 334 | 441 | 425 | 287 | 284 | 268 | 214 | 285 | 625 | 268 | 223 | 220 | 332 | 188 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | glassy | cross | on | cross-off | cross | on | glassy | cross | on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy |
High Tide | 2:51PM3.38m | 2:51AM3.37m | 3:26PM3.41m | 3:37AM3.16m | 4:00PM3.38m | 4:23AM2.92m | 4:35PM3.29m | 5:12AM2.69m | 5:12PM3.17m | 6:10AM2.48m | 5:55PM3.04m | 7:24AM2.33m | 6:51PM2.92m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:48PM0.82m | 9:05AM0.37m | 9:34PM0.77m | 9:40AM0.65m | 10:20PM0.79m | 10:14AM0.96m | 11:07PM0.87m | 10:49AM1.27m | 00:01AM0.97m | 11:29AM1.55m | 1:04AM1.06m | 12:18PM1.78m | 2:17AM1.09m | |||||||
— | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | |
8:40 | — | — | 8:39 | — | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:36 | — | — | 8:34 | — | — | 8:31 | — | — | 8:30 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
Feels °C | 13 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | WNW 7 | W 7 | W 12 | W 12 | W 12 | W 7 | WNW 8 | W 7 | W 11 | SSW 15 |
33 | 73 | 102 | 94 | 85 | 339 | 334 | 441 | 425 | 287 | 284 | 107 | 190 | 285 | 625 | 120 | 196 | 97 | 332 | 188 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 6 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | W 6 | W 5 | SSW 14 | W 12 | W 11 | W 11 | SSW 16 | W 11 |
119 | 109 | 103 | 280 | 276 | 79 | 78 | 74 | 34 | 36 | 268 | 268 | 41 | 47 | 121 | 268 | 199 | 182 | 212 | 79 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | SSW 20 | SSW 19 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | S 9 | W 5 | W 13 | W 15 | W 13 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 18 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | W 15 | SW 19 |
18 | 149 | 139 | 140 | 140 | 44 | 85 | 2 | 14 | 3 | 38 | 121 | 214 | 206 | 81 | 123 | 223 | 220 | 4 | 57 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 6 | — | — | — | WNW 5 | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 7 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 24 | — | — | — | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | 187 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 763 | 0 | 93 | 1021 | 9 | 825 | 829 | 0 | 123 | 1386 | 0 | 119 | 1 | 0 | 93 | 2 | 0 | 123 | 687 | 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.











