
Surf Forecasts:
Cox Bay surf forecast from 5 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 7 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 16s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 8 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 18s period, SSW swell with 547 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 5 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 8s period with W 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 Sunday (Jul 05) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 11s. 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 0.9m 18s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 08) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 09) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Sun 5th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Tue 7th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Wed 8th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cox Bay over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Cox Bay over the next couple of weeks. It’s a mixed bag, but there are a couple of windows where it could get real nice.
The surf kicks off Sunday morning, July 5th, but it’s nothing to get excited about. We’ve got 4ft of short-period, wind-affected W swell, with the wind howling straight onshore and a combined energy reading of 363. The water’s sitting at 54° – which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a good wetsuit.
Monday the 6th drops off to tiny 2ft, but the good news is the period jumps to a very long 18 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy, but with a consistent onshore wind, the shape will be messy. Energy’s moderate at 664.
Now, here’s the standout I’d paddle out for: Tuesday, July 7th. The morning brings glassy conditions with the lightest NW breeze – 3 mph – and the swell is still a clean 2ft with a very long 16-second period. By the afternoon it goes glassy again with a light S breeze, the swell holding at 2ft but the period stretching to a huge 20 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 799, promising well-shaped, powerful lines. Those long intervals will make for clean, walling-up waves, best for a point or reef setup. Expect some lulls between sets, but the paddle out will be easy. Crowds can be a problem here sometimes, so get out early.
Wednesday the 8th is a write-off with onshore winds again. Thursday the 9th afternoon shapes up nicely though – offshore wind from the east at 6 mph, the same 3ft SSW swell with a 16-second period, and 677 combined energy. Clean conditions, and it’ll feel much better than the morning.
Saturday July 11th morning brings a 5ft W swell with a 10-second period and a clean cross-offshore breeze from the SE. Combined energy is 670 – solid, rideable waves. Good for a session.
As we move into the second week, the size drops right back. Sunday July 12th afternoon has offshore ESE wind at 9 mph and a very long 15-second period, but the swell is only 2ft. Monday 13th morning gives us clean waves with a strong 16 mph offshore breeze, but the swell is just 2ft with 13-second period – small but clean. Tuesday 14th is tiny and glassy in the morning at 1ft.
After that, from Wednesday 15th through to Monday 20th July, it’s mostly onshore winds and small, short-period swell. The swell tries to push up to 5ft on Saturday 18th, but with a short 8-second period and onshore wind, it’ll be a messy close-out. The last few days drop back to small 2ft groundswell, but the wind is messy again.
Overall, the best of the next two weeks is definitely Tuesday July 7th – glassy, clean, and long-period swell. Thursday 9th afternoon is also worth a look. Don’t expect much in the second week. Keep an eye on the forecasts, though – things can change.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun afternoon, min 12°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Thu night. Very mild (max 13°C on Wed afternoon, min 11°C on Thu afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 5 | Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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) | W 8 | WNW 8 | SSW 14 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 21 | SW 16 | SW 20 | SW 20 | SW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
195 | 197 | 140 | 316 | 152 | 305 | 264 | 388 | 388 | 323 | 547 | 399 | 464 | 452 | 334 | 464 | 393 | 293 | 369 | 318 | 220 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | off | cross-off | on | on | glassy | cross-off | cross | off |
High Tide | 5:23PM2.98m | 5:11AM2.73m | 6:02PM3.03m | 6:11AM2.57m | 6:46PM3.11m | 7:25AM2.45m | 7:37PM3.20m | 8:49AM2.43m | 8:32PM3.31m | 10:10AM2.51m | 9:30PM3.43m | 11:23AM2.66m | 10:29PM3.56m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:46AM0.71m | 11:28PM1.31m | 11:24AM0.89m | 00:28AM1.20m | 12:06PM1.11m | 1:31AM1.05m | 12:57PM1.33m | 2:36AM0.86m | 1:58PM1.54m | 3:41AM0.64m | 3:08PM1.67m | 4:45AM0.41m | 4:19PM1.71m | ||||||||
5:24 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | |
— | — | 9:30 | — | — | 9:29 | — | — | 9:29 | — | — | 9:28 | — | — | 9:28 | — | — | 9:27 | — | — | 9:25 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 5 | 10 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Feels °C | 13 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | SSW 14 | W 8 | WNW 9 | SW 18 | WNW 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | SW 18 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | WSW 8 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 |
195 | 136 | 124 | 110 | 152 | 88 | 154 | 150 | 146 | 323 | 157 | 177 | 136 | 152 | 169 | 208 | 252 | 293 | 369 | 318 | 220 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | W 12 | SSW 14 | SW 18 | SW 13 | SSW 21 | SW 16 | SW 20 | SW 20 | SW 14 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SW 14 |
95 | 73 | 138 | 316 | 43 | 305 | 264 | 388 | 388 | 53 | 547 | 399 | 464 | 452 | 334 | 464 | 393 | 287 | 294 | 279 | 211 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 12 | W 10 | SSW 19 | SW 24 | SSW 23 | SW 18 | SW 21 | SW 16 | SW 16 | S 12 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | S 11 | SSW 19 | SW 13 | — | S 11 | S 11 | W 18 | W 19 | W 17 |
73 | 51 | 140 | 141 | 54 | 150 | 116 | 261 | 206 | 11 | 142 | 142 | 9 | 73 | 45 | — | 2 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 22 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WNW 8 | WNW 6 | W 6 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | — | — | — | W 9 | — | — | — | ESE 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | 197 | 100 | 97 | 102 | 28 | — | — | — | 215 | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 123 | 687 | 93 | 123 | 1386 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 119 | 687 | 687 | 93 | 123 | 0 | 0 | 123 | 93 | 0 | 0 | 152 | 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.










