The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve got a pretty honest look at what’s coming up for The Cove over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you, there’s not much to get excited about for a while.

The first real sign of life doesn’t show until the 2nd of September, so you’re looking at a solid week of flat, poor conditions before that. From Monday the 24th right through to the end of August, it’s mostly tiny, messy waves with cross-shore or onshore winds, and a lot of risk of thunderstorms. Not worth paddling out for.

Things start to change around the 1st of September. On the morning of Tuesday the 1st, we get a glassy, calm morning with a 0.3 ft swell from the ESE, period 15 seconds – that’s a long-period groundswell, which means better shaped waves, but it’s still tiny. The energy is weak (65). By the morning of the 2nd, the swell picks up a little to 1 ft from the NE, period 13 seconds, and it’s glassy again, with combined energy hitting 83. Surfable but very ordinary.

The best window in the whole forecast is the morning of Thursday the 3rd. The swell is 2 ft from the ENE, period 13 seconds, and the wind is WSW at 15 km/h, blowing offshore. That’s clean, gentle offshore conditions, and the combined energy is 127 – moderate. It’s not big, but it’s the standout for the period. The Cove is a beach and reef break, fairly consistent, and the optimum swell direction is NNE, so this ENE swell is close enough to work. Crowds are sometimes an issue, but on a small day like this, you might have it relatively quiet.

After that, there’s a drop-off again. The 4th and 5th have some clean mornings with offshore winds, but the swell is tiny again (1 ft to 2 ft), and energy is low. The 6th has a glassy morning with a 1.0 ft swell from NE, period 13 seconds, but it’s just not enough to get excited about.

Water temperature is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual. The Cove is a fairly exposed spot, so it needs a bit more size to really fire.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a write-off. The best chance for a paddle is the morning of Thursday the 3rd of September, with clean offshore winds and a small but workable groundswell. It’s not a standout by any stretch, but it’s the only real option in the 16 days. Everything else is mostly flat or poor. Keep an eye on the forecasts, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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