The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it, because I’ve looked at the charts for The Cove and, well, it’s a tough gig for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, the whole 16-day window is a write-off for any decent surf. We’re looking at a long stretch of utter flatness or tiny, wind-affected slop. There’s nothing to get excited about at all. The swell energy is weak, with the combined energy reading mostly in the low double digits, like 8 to 30, and only occasionally nudging into the 50s or 80s – but even then, it’s paired with onshore junk. The water temp is sitting at 87°, which is about a degree warmer than the long-term average for this time of year (a touch of tropical bathwater feel), but you won’t be needing a wetsuit for any waves because there aren’t any.

The pattern starts on Saturday the 15th with a tiny 0.7ft swell from the ENE, but it’s blown out by a 12 mph onshore breeze. That sets the tone. The whole first week is a graveyard of “poor surf conditions” labels. Sunday morning the 16th is a cross-on mess with a 0.7ft, 8-second windswell and a combined energy of just 8. It’s a sad sight.

There are a couple of moments that look glassy – Tuesday morning the 18th has a glassy 0.7ft from the ESE with a 3 mph westerly, and Wednesday morning the 19th has a glassy 1ft from the NE. But the swell is so small (0.7ft to 1ft) and the period is short, that it’s barely a ripple. The break is inconsistent and rarely breaks in these conditions, so don’t even bother paddling out.

Things stay flat and choppy right through the end of August. We get a tiny bump of 2ft on the 24th and 25th, but it’s from the ESE with a nasty 4-second period and a 12 mph onshore wind. That’s just pure wind-chopped crumble. The combined energy climbs to 25, but it’s a hopeless, short-period mess. The best we see in the entire run is a combined energy of 81 on the afternoon of the 27th, but that’s a 1ft, 11-second swell being hammered by a 12 mph onshore easterly. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing during that blustery run.

The very last day, Sunday the 30th, sees a 2ft from the NNE with a 7-second period, but again, the wind is onshore at 12 mph. There’s simply no point.

For a spot that’s fairly consistent, this is a blank run. It’s one of those rare periods where the ocean just shuts down for us. Forecaster confidence is high for the first week, and the second week looks equally grim. There’s nothing to chase here.

Rusty.

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