Smugglers Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, checking in on the only game in town for the next couple of weeks. We’ve just got one spot to look at.

Smugglers Cove

Honestly, it’s a tough outlook for the next sixteen days at Smugglers Cove. We’re looking at a long, long stretch of nothing special. The swell energy is there – we’re seeing moderate to sometimes strong energy readings, but the problem is the wind and the shape. Most days we’re stuck with a cross-shore breeze which is putting a chop on everything. The waves that do show up are pretty weak and junky.

It kicks off on Sunday with a 4ft swell from the WNW, but it’s short-period stuff and the moderate breeze is making a mess of it. That sets the tone for the whole first week. Monday has a bit more size, up to 5ft, and the period stretches out to 11 seconds, which is a bit of groundswell, but the wind stays cross-shore, so it’s still a messy, lumpy affair.

We get a few mornings and afternoons on Wednesday and Thursday where the swell drops right off to 2ft. Even though those long-period SW swells are pushing some decent energy around, the waves are just too small to get excited about, and the wind is cross-on or cross-shore. The water temp anomaly isn’t noted, so it’s about average for the time of year – no surprises there.

Heading into the weekend of the 11th and 12th, the swell picks up a touch to 4ft, but it’s back to short-period windswell with that same dirty cross-shore wind. It’s the same story: poor conditions.

There’s a flicker of hope around Wednesday the 15th and Thursday the 16th. We get a clean, cross-offshore wind from the north, and the swell period jumps right up to 19 and 21 seconds – proper long-period groundswell. The wave heights are small, only 2ft to 3ft, but the energy is strong. For the more experienced crew on a longboard, this might be the best we see, but it’s still marginal and not really a standout for the average surfer. That long-period stuff is also prone to being a bit too straight and walled-up on a beach break like this one.

The second week follows the same script. We get a bit of size again around the 4ft mark on the 19th, but again, the cross-shore wind ruins it. The last day on the 20th has a 4ft swell, but the wind swings cross-onshore, making it choppy.

So, to be blunt, there isn’t a single day I’d jump in the car for. The consistent cross-shore wind and generally poor wave quality just make this a write-off. For the die-hard beginners, the cleanest conditions look to be that mid-week period around the 15th and 16th, but the waves are tiny. For everyone else, save your energy. That’s the word from the coast.

Rusty.

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