Surf Forecasts:
The Cove surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 4s period, SSE swell with 24 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Cove this week:
The most powerful waves expected at The Cove in the next 16 days are 0.8m 4s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 4s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 4s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about The Cove over the next couple of weeks, and I’ll keep it short – there ain’t much to say.
From Monday 17th August right through, we’re looking at a long, flat spell. The swell is tiny, barely a foot, and the wave energy is weak (10). You’d be hard-pressed to find anything to ride. Winds are light, and there are a few glassy mornings, but with a wave that small, it doesn’t matter.
The pattern sticks: small, short-period ESE windswell, mostly under 1ft. Even when the period stretches to 12 seconds on Thursday August 27th, and the energy bumps up to 57, the wave height is still under 2ft and the wind is onshore. It’s not going to break properly.
There are no standout days, no real surf. The break is beach and reef, and the swell direction never matches the optimum NNE. For a paddler, it’s a bust. If the wind gets up, maybe a kiter could have some fun in the chop, but for a surfer? Not a chance.
So, plain and simple: 16 days of poor conditions. This kind of dry spell happens here when the swell windows don’t line up. Don’t get your hopes up, but forecasts can shift.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Warm (max 33°C on Tue afternoon, min 28°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Thu afternoon. Warm (max 32°C on Thu afternoon, min 28°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | ||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 8 | SSE 4 | S 4 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SSE 4 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 20 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | glassy | cross-on | glassy | off | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 11:45PM0.88m | 12:20PM0.92m | 00:27AM0.82m | 1:10PM0.88m | 1:12AM0.77m | 2:01PM0.85m | 2:00AM0.72m | 2:58PM0.82m | 2:54AM0.70m | 3:58PM0.81m | 3:55AM0.69m | 4:56PM0.82m | 4:54AM0.70m | ||||||
Low Tide | 6:00AM0.01m | 6:32PM0.13m | 6:49AM0.05m | 7:27PM0.19m | 7:39AM0.09m | 8:22PM0.23m | 8:30AM0.12m | 9:16PM0.26m | 9:23AM0.13m | 10:10PM0.27m | 10:16AM0.14m | 11:03PM0.27m | |||||||
 |  | | | | | |  |  |  | | | | | | | | |  | |
 | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — |
 | 7:55 | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:51 | — | — | 7:50 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 |
Temp °C | 29 | 31 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 33 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 29 |
Feels °C | 32 | 34 | 34 | 32 | 33 | 36 | 33 | 35 | 34 | 32 | 34 | 35 | 31 | 34 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 4 | SSE 5 | ESE 8 | S 4 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | SSE 4 | N 4 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SSE 3 | E 8 | NE 8 | SSE 3 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | S 3 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 |
| kJ | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 7 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | NE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ENE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | NE 6 | NE 6 | E 8 | NE 8 | E 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | E 9 | ENE 9 | — | E 8 |
| kJ | 6 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 8 | — | 1 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 10 | NE 10 | E 8 | NE 9 | S 3 | NE 6 | ENE 10 | ENE 6 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | NE 8 | NE 6 | E 5 | E 8 | — | — | ESE 3 | E 8 | E 13 |
| kJ | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 5 | — | SSE 3 | S 4 | — | — | — | NNW 4 | — | SSE 3 | — | SSE 4 | S 4 | S 3 | SE 3 | SSE 4 | — | ESE 3 | SE 3 |
| kJ | 5 | — | 3 | 6 | — | — | — | 4 | — | 3 | — | 11 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 7 | — | 1 | 3 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 305 | 288 | 288 | 288 | 262 | 136 | 262 | 280 | 306 | 393 | 386 | 386 | 834 | 1007 | 1727 | 137 | 738 | 325 | 137 |
Best forecast wave conditions in South Florida | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our The Cove surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the The Cove Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for The Cove provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The Cove can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Cove 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 (The Cove) 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 The Cove 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.
The Cove is 0 km (0 miles) from West Palm Beach. If you plan a vacation in South Florida, look for hotels and other accommodation in West Palm Beach. West Palm Beach has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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