The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s talk about The Cove.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: this isn't a week for glory. The surf window starts on Saturday, August 15th, with a small, weak south swell pushing in at around 3ft. But look closer – the wind is a messy cross-off from the NE, and there's a risk of thunderstorms. It’s gonna be bumpy and messy, not worth paddling out for anything serious. The water temp is 80°, which is right around normal for this time of year.

The real turning point comes the next morning. On Sunday, August 16th, the wind drops right out to nearly nothing, becoming glassy, and the swell period jumps up to 16 seconds. That's proper groundswell energy. The wave height stays around 3ft, but the quality jumps way up. The energy readings show a solid jump to 452, which is moderate, but it's the clean, lined-up nature of the swell that has me stoked. This is the best window of the whole forecast.

That clean spell holds through Monday, August 17th, with a light offshore breeze and some consistent south swell in the 3-3ft range. The energy is still moderate, around 374. This is your classic, fun, small-wave window. The Cove is a reef break, so a longer period swell like this (14-16 seconds) is going to focus up nicely. It’s inconsistent, so you'll be waiting for sets, but when they come, they should be worth it.

After that, it fades. The rest of that week and into the next is a long, drawn-out groan of tiny, weak surf. From Tuesday the 18th through to the 24th, we're looking at mostly 2ft – 2ft slop. There’s a brief pulse of energy on the 20th and 21st with the direction shifting to SSW, but it's still small. The energy readings mostly stay in the 100-200 range, which is weak. It's a real flat spell.

Then, around Tuesday, August 25th, we see a little more life. The swell bumps back up to 3ft with a 15-16 second period from the SSW. The winds look light and variable, even going glassy again. Energy readings are back up in the 375 range. It looks like a fun, clean return of small waves. It won’t be as crisp as the Sunday prior, but it’s a promising end to the dry spell.

The last few days of the month, the 27th and 28th, hold onto that south swell at 2-3ft, with clean, glassy mornings on offer. It stays small but rideable. The crowds here can be occasional, so on a glassy morning, you might find yourself with some clean waves and not too many people out.

So the standout here? Sunday, August 16th, and into Monday the 17th. You got the best combination of clean, glassy/offshore wind and that long-period groundswell. It's not going to be huge, but it'll be the best quality surf on offer. The late window around the 25th looks promising too, but it's further out, so I wouldn't bet the farm on it just yet.

The Cove is a spot that doesn't fire all the time, and it's inconsistent. This looks like a typical run for the area – a brief shot of quality, then a long flat spell, then some more hope. Keep your eyes on that Sunday morning.

Rusty, out.

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