The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – it's a bit of a slow start, but there's some light at the end of the tunnel if you're patient.

For the next few days, we're looking at small, weak energy. The water's sitting at a nice 80°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there. The combined swell energy is barely cracking 200 (228), so it's pretty weak. The Cove is an inconsistent, advanced reef break, so it's not really doing much for us. Thursday through to Tuesday next week is just a run of ordinary, small waves. You'll see a few glassy windows, like Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning, with tiny 2 ft to 2 ft SSW swells, but the quality just isn't there. It's more of a paddle-around than a surf session.

Now, things start to get interesting around Wednesday, the 26th. The swell ticks up a notch, and we see a nice jump in energy. Wednesday morning looks promising with a 2 ft S swell, a period of 18 seconds (that's proper groundswell), and a light offshore wind from the north. The combined energy is moderate at 438. That's a solid improvement.

But the real standout is Thursday, the 27th. We're looking at the best wave of the fortnight. Thursday morning you've got a 3 ft SSW swell, a 16-second period, light offshore cross-off wind from the north, and the combined energy is a strong 716. That's a proper pulse of energy. The waves will be clean and have some punch. Just remember, The Cove is an advanced, inconsistent reef, so when it's on, it's on, but it won't be for everyone. The offshore wind is a major positive here.

After that, it tails off again. The end of August and start of September sees the swell drop back to small, weak 1 ft to 2 ft stuff. The energy levels drop back to weak (111-205). The winds stay offshore, which is nice, but there's just not enough swell to get excited about. Even into the first week of September, the onshore winds and small swells don't offer much. There's a brief flicker on Friday, the 4th, with a 2 ft SSW groundswell (19 seconds) and glassy conditions, which could be worth a look if you're desperate, but it's a long way off.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a write-off for quality waves. The clear best is Thursday, the 27th of August. Get on it if you can. The rest is mostly small and ordinary, with a few clean but tiny windows.

Rusty.

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