The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a good, hard look at what’s on the menu for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, this isn’t a classic run. The waves are tiny and the energy is weak for most of the period. The first proper surfable day doesn’t really show up until Monday the 31st of August, so we’ve got a quiet start with a couple of days of small, ordinary waves before that. The best of the action is concentrated in the first week of September, with a couple of real standout sessions that are worth circling on the calendar.

The Cove is a reef break, so it needs a decent push of swell to get going, and for most of the time it’s just not getting that. The water temp is sitting at 80°F, which is just about bang on average for this time of year—nothing weird there.

The first real day to get keen on is Tuesday the 1st of September. The morning is looking sweet with a clean 3ft swell from the SSW, period of 18 seconds, and a light offshore wind from the north. That’s a proper long-period groundswell, and the combined energy hits 592 (moderate wave energy). The offshore breeze will keep the faces clean, and with it being a reef, that long period will wrap in nicely. This is one of the true standouts of the outlook.

The other absolute cracker is Monday the 7th of September. The afternoon session looks best: 3ft SSW swell, 17-second period, clean offshore winds from the NNE, and the combined energy is right up at 639 (moderate wave energy). That is the top energy reading of the whole forecast, and it’s going to feel punchy on the reef. The morning of that day is also good, so you could make a full day of it.

Wednesday the 9th of September is also a special mention. The morning is glassy—zero wind, calm as a lake—and the swell is 3ft from the SSW at 14 seconds. It’s not the biggest, but glassy conditions on a reef are a gift. The energy is 342 (moderate), so there’s enough push to have fun.

Outside of those days, a lot of the time it’s between 1ft and 2ft, with periods that are either too short or just not clean enough to get excited about. The last few days from the 10th of September onward drop off into smaller, messier conditions with cross-shore or cross-onshore winds, so don’t expect much there.

Crowds at The Cove can be an issue sometimes, but with the size being so small on most days, it’ll mostly be the locals and the dedicated crew out. On the standout days, expect a few more heads in the water.

Overall, it’s a pretty slow start, a clear mid-period peak around the 1st and 7th of September, then a tail-off. Get on the Tuesday the 1st or Monday the 7th if you can.

Rusty.

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