Sandy Hook/The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty, and I've got to be straight with you on this one – the outlook for Sandy Hook/The Cove over the next 16 days is a bit of a mixed bag, and honestly, mostly flat.

There's a real gap of nothing happening right through the first week and beyond. We've got a run of tiny, junky waves from the 1st all the way through to the 13th of August. The swell is barely registering, with most of the energy being weak, all under 100 (like only 9 or 5 or 20), and the combined energy doesn't even crack three digits until the 6th of August. The period is short, around 6 to 8 seconds, so it's just wind chop. The wind is all over the place too – cross, cross-off, onshore, and occasionally offshore. It's poor surf conditions, day after day. For a beginner-friendly spot like Sandy Hook/The Cove, it's just not paddling out.

The water temp is sitting at about 74°, which is a little warm but nothing unusual for this time of year.

The first real sniff of anything happens on Thursday the 6th of August. The morning shows a 4 ft swell from the south, with a period of 6 seconds, and the combined energy hits 119 (moderate). The afternoon sees a bit more size – 5 ft from the south – and the energy jumps to 204 (strong). But the wind is a cross-off from the SSW at 16 mph, so it's not clean. The wave comment still says "poor surf conditions," so it's not a goer.

Then on Friday the 7th of August, we get a bit of a window. The morning has a 3 ft south swell, period 6 seconds, and the energy is 97 (weak). The wind is offshore from the WSW at 9 mph, which is a major positive – it'll be clean. The wave comment says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." The afternoon is similar, with a 4 ft south swell, but the wind is a light cross-off from the SW. It's still small and short-period, but it's the best on offer in this whole stretch. It's not a standout, but it's the only thing resembling a surf.

After that, it's back to flat and poor from the 8th of August all the way through to the 16th. The 14th of August afternoon has a 4 ft south swell with a period of 6 seconds and energy of 142 (moderate), but the wind is a cross-on from the SE, so it's choppy. The 16th of August is just tiny 0.3 ft swell.

So, to be blunt, there's nothing to get excited about here. The only real chance to get wet is that Friday the 7th of August, but even then, you're looking at small, ordinary waves. There are no standouts. For a break that's fairly consistent, this is a real dry spell. It's a beach and reef setup, so it's not a kite spot either. Keep an eye on the forecasts, because it can't stay this quiet forever.

Rusty.

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