The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s put it in feet and miles per hour.

First off, The Cove is a reef setup – advanced surfers only. It’s an inconsistent wave, so you can’t just show up any day. The water is about 80°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year.

The call for the next week or so is small but clean. A mix of SSW and SW groundswells with long periods (14 to 16 seconds) will line up nicely on the reef. Wave heights are in that 2 ft to 3 ft range, so don’t expect any of that big stuff. Tuesday morning kicks off with a 3 ft SSW swell at 14 seconds and a clean NNE offshore wind at 12 mph. It’s a good combo for a skilled surfer on a longer board. The energy is moderate (352). Tuesday afternoon is similar, just a touch smaller.

Wednesday and Thursday stay around 2 ft to 2 ft, but Thursday morning turns dead glassy with a 2 ft S swell. That’s your cleanest, most delicate window for a longboard if you’re into that precision stuff. Crowds are possible here – it’s not always packed, but sometimes it is.

The weekend (Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 July) is where it gets good. Similar small waves (2 ft to 2 ft) but the period jumps to 18 seconds on Saturday – that’s a very long period groundswell. The energy is moderate (270-319), but with that kind of period, the wave shape will be much better on the reef, with clean lines and bigger gaps between sets. Sunday morning will have glassy conditions with a light offshore.

Looking at the second week, around Wednesday 15 July, the energy jumps up big time (492), but the swell stays tiny at 2 ft. That’s a huge amount of energy for a small wave, so expect the sets to be really well-formed but still small. Winds look good, mostly light offshores or glassy, keeping it clean.

Overall, the standout is the consistency of the clean conditions and the quality of the long-period groundswell. The best day is probably Sunday 12 July – morning session, 2 ft SW groundswell, 16 second period, glassy conditions (3 mph NNW). That’s as good as it gets for a small wave on this reef. The Saturday 11 July morning is a close second with that 18-second period and a gentle offshore.

It’s not a big wave spot by any means, but for a skilled surfer who knows the reef, this is a run of classic, clean surfing conditions. If you’re a beginner, the 2 ft to 3 ft waves are okay, but the reef bottom means you need to know what you’re doing.

- Rusty

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