
Surf Forecasts:
Cox Bay surf forecast from 13 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 13 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 14s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 17 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 8s period, WNW swell with 299 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 13 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 14s 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 Sunday (Sep 13) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 9s. 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 8s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 5s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 19) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Thu 17th Sep) | 5ft (1.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cox Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty checking in with the outlook for Cox Bay.
We've got a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks, but there are some definite windows of opportunity. The pattern starts off with small, clean waves and builds towards a couple of stronger pulses later on.
The first few days are all about small but clean conditions. Sunday morning, September 13th is looking nice with a clean 3ft swell from the SW and a light cross-offshore breeze. The water temp is sitting at 58°, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.
Monday, September 14th is an absolute standout. The morning is glassy with a 2ft SSW groundswell (13-second period) and the afternoon goes totally calm and glassy with a 2ft swell. The combined wave energy is moderate (266 and 215), making for some really fun, user-friendly waves. This is the pick of the first week – small but perfect.
The surf drops right off after that, with a couple of days of weak, short-period windswell and poor conditions. There's a significant gap of poor to marginal surf from Tuesday afternoon through to Wednesday.
We get back into it with another glassy morning on Thursday, September 17th, with a tiny 2ft, long-period (19-second) SW groundswell. This is a proper groundswell, so the sets will have some shape and energy to them, even at that size. Combined energy is moderate (341).
Things pick up more seriously going into the second week. Saturday, September 20th looks magic – a glassy morning and a glassy afternoon with a clean 2ft SW swell. The combined energy is solidly moderate (397 and 410). The standout in this second week is Wednesday, September 23rd. The morning shows a 4ft W swell with an offshore breeze and heavy rain – that's the recipe for some clean, punchy waves. The afternoon cleans up to glassy with a 3ft SW swell. This is when the energy steps up (624 and 581) and the quality is very good.
Another very promising call is for Sunday, September 27th. A moderate offshore breeze (ESE at 12 mph) is forecast to groom a 4ft WNW swell, with combined energy jumping up to 557. This looks like the best combination of size and clean conditions of the whole outlook.
Overall, don't expect much in the middle of the first week, but the bookends of the period – the early glassy days and the stronger, cleaner pulses late in the second week – are where it's at.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Sat night, min 13°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Thu night, min 14°C on Tue afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | ||||||||||||||
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 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WNW 7 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 17 | SW 17 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SW 19 | WNW 8 | SW 21 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SW 19 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
255 | 245 | 248 | 172 | 144 | 118 | 85 | 103 | 106 | 121 | 199 | 140 | 186 | 299 | 170 | 157 | 125 | 160 | 146 | 236 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | off | on | cross-on | off | glassy | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:12PM3.50m | 2:36AM3.26m | 2:43PM3.50m | 3:19AM3.10m | 3:14PM3.43m | 4:01AM2.92m | 3:46PM3.31m | 4:47AM2.73m | 4:20PM3.16m | 5:39AM2.54m | 4:59PM3.00m | 6:47AM2.40m | 5:51PM2.85m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:26PM0.57m | 8:30AM0.79m | 9:06PM0.56m | 9:03AM1.04m | 9:46PM0.63m | 9:36AM1.29m | 10:28PM0.75m | 10:10AM1.53m | 11:16PM0.91m | 10:49AM1.74m | 00:15AM1.05m | 11:39AM1.91m | 1:28AM1.14m | |||||||
— | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | |
7:43 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 15 |
Feels °C | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 16 | 14 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 7 | W 7 | W 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | SW 12 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 |
110 | 137 | 125 | 106 | 134 | 91 | 75 | 55 | 89 | 39 | 199 | 140 | 186 | 299 | 149 | 157 | 125 | 89 | 86 | 65 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 19 | SW 19 | SSW 18 | SW 21 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 19 |
255 | 245 | 248 | 164 | 144 | 118 | 85 | 84 | 82 | 106 | 87 | 86 | 38 | 74 | 170 | 103 | 117 | 147 | 146 | 236 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | W 15 | SW 19 | SW 19 | SW 17 | SW 17 | W 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 16 | SW 24 | SW 22 | SSW 18 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SSW 16 |
27 | 23 | 11 | 4 | 17 | 57 | 55 | 103 | 106 | 11 | 37 | 37 | 22 | 39 | 22 | 73 | 61 | 160 | 137 | 95 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WNW 9 | — | WNW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 2 | SE 3 | SE 4 |
— | 222 | — | 172 | — | — | — | — | — | 121 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 23 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 894 | 1 | 0 | 123 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 151 | 0 | 119 | 151 | 0 | 0 | 124 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 119 |
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.










