Surf Forecasts:
The Cove surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 26 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 19s period, S swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 27 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 17s period, S swell with 559 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 15s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Cove this week:
The surf forecast for The Cove over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 2PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 16s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Cove in the next 16 days are 1.0m 17s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 27) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.3m 7s period and expected on Monday (Aug 24) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (HST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 19s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s shaping up at The Cove. This is a reef break that doesn’t fire all that often, so when it does, you want to be on it. The water’s warm at 81°F, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year, nothing weird there.
The early part of the outlook is a bit of a slow burner. Sunday the 23rd kicks off with clean, offshore conditions, but the swell is tiny – just 2ft – and the energy is weak (218). It’s surfable but nothing to get excited about. Monday the 24th is glassy, with a light WNW breeze in the morning, but the swell is still under 3ft. The energy is still low (195). You’ll get a wave, but it’s not gonna blow your mind.
Tuesday the 25th picks up a little. The wind is offshore all day, and the swell ticks up slightly. The afternoon shows a bit more energy (296) and the surface is clean. It’s a 2 out of 10 day in my book – better, but still small. Wednesday the 26th is the same story: small swell, but the energy is climbing (454 in the morning) and the wind is offshore. The sets are clean and the period is hitting 17 seconds in the afternoon, so there’s some push behind the swell, but it’s still only 2ft.
Now, Thursday the 27th morning is the real standout. The swell is 3ft from the SSW, with a 16-second period, and the wind is a light offshore from the NNE. The combined energy jumps to 932 – that’s moderate wave energy, and it’s the strongest of the whole run. The water is glassy, the waves are clean, and this is your best window. The Cove is an inconsistent break, so when it lines up like this, you grab it. Expect long-period groundswell, which suits this reef setup nicely. It’s not big, but it’s clean and has shape.
After that, the surf drops off again. Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th are still rideable, but the energy fades and the swell stays small. Sunday the 30th is weaker, with energy dropping to 69 in the afternoon. Not great.
There’s a real gap from Monday the 31st right through to the end of the first week. The swell is tiny, the energy is low, and some days are marked as poor. Not worth paddling out.
Then we get a serious uptick in the second week. Tuesday the 1st of September morning is another standout: 3ft swell from the south, 18-second period, light offshore breeze, and the energy is 698. Clean, lined up, and very good. Wednesday the 2nd of September is even better in the morning – glassy conditions, 3ft swell, 16-second period, and energy at 801. That’s a solid moderate energy day, and the conditions are perfect. Thursday the 3rd is still good, but the energy drops back.
After that, it fades into smaller, more ordinary waves through the end of the run. The weekend of the 6th and 7th of September has some glassy, clean conditions, but the swell stays under 3ft. It’s surfable, but nothing special.
So, to wrap it up: the best on offer is Thursday the 27th of August morning, with a strong window of clean, offshore 3ft SSW swell and very good conditions. The next big one is Tuesday the 1st of September morning, with a similar setup but a touch bigger. If you’re after the cleanest, best-shaped waves, those are your days.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Mon afternoon. Warm (max 30°C on Sun morning, min 23°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Wed morning, min 24°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | 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) | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | S 18 | SSW 14 | SSW 17 | S 18 | S 18 | S 16 | S 16 | S 14 | S 14 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | SW 17 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
144 | 137 | 100 | 163 | 139 | 127 | 146 | 140 | 165 | 215 | 307 | 429 | 416 | 325 | 326 | 184 | 206 | 89 | 115 | 121 | 140 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | off | glassy | glassy | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off |
High Tide | 1:33PM0.75m | 1:37AM0.34m | 2:13PM0.77m | 2:20AM0.37m | 2:49PM0.78m | 2:59AM0.40m | 3:22PM0.77m | 3:37AM0.44m | 3:54PM0.74m | 4:15AM0.48m | 4:24PM0.69m | 4:53AM0.52m | 4:54PM0.63m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:41PM0.16m | 6:44AM0.07m | 9:06PM0.14m | 7:31AM0.05m | 9:30PM0.12m | 8:15AM0.05m | 9:53PM0.10m | 8:58AM0.06m | 10:17PM0.08m | 9:42AM0.08m | 10:41PM0.06m | 10:28AM0.10m | 11:08PM0.05m | ||||||||
6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | |
— | 6:49 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:44 | — | |
mm | — | — | 1 | — | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 30 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 25 |
Feels °C | 33 | 31 | 29 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 25 | 29 | 30 | 25 | 30 | 30 | 25 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 25 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 17 | S 18 | SSW 16 | E 7 | SSW 14 | S 14 | SSW 13 | S 13 | S 13 | E 14 | E 13 |
144 | 137 | 100 | 163 | 139 | 127 | 117 | 82 | 121 | 215 | 307 | 429 | 416 | 88 | 280 | 184 | 184 | 87 | 115 | 134 | 126 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SW 14 | SSW 15 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | S 18 | S 18 | S 20 | SSW 13 | S 18 | S 16 | S 16 | S 15 | S 14 | S 14 | E 14 | S 13 | SW 17 |
51 | 54 | 71 | 49 | 47 | 92 | 146 | 140 | 165 | 160 | 186 | 135 | 395 | 325 | 326 | 110 | 206 | 89 | 93 | 121 | 140 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 13 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSW 19 | SSW 12 | S 21 | SSW 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 12 | S 12 | E 15 | SSW 12 | E 13 | E 12 | S 13 | SSW 12 | S 12 |
23 | 22 | 56 | 32 | 61 | 46 | 27 | 74 | 79 | 79 | 58 | 85 | 121 | 72 | 18 | 45 | 31 | 26 | 55 | 50 | 68 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 8 | E 6 | E 6 | E 5 | E 6 | E 6 | E 7 | E 5 | E 7 | E 5 | E 5 | E 6 | E 6 | E 5 | E 5 | E 7 |
256 | 344 | 344 | 365 | 301 | 321 | 204 | 175 | 124 | 144 | 95 | 152 | 97 | 127 | 112 | 62 | 164 | 138 | 80 | 104 | 121 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Maui | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
Are you planning a vacation in Maui? If you are looking for accommodation near The Cove, camping, hotels and condos and appartments in Maui, consider staying in Kihei which is 6 km (4 miles) away. Other places in and around Maui where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Wailuku which is 17 km (11 miles) away, Kahului, Lanai - Lanai and Kaunakakai - Molokai.











