The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s break down the next couple of weeks at The Cove.

Right now, it’s looking a bit flat and fickle, but there’s some real promise on the horizon if you’re patient. The water temp is sitting at a nice 80°, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year, so you won’t need the thickest rubber.

We start off with a couple of small pulses. Wednesday the 29th is pretty ordinary – we’ve got a tiny 2ft swell from the SSW but the morning has a cross-on wind that’s just messing things up. The afternoon glass-off is a welcome change, but the wave energy is weak (211). Honestly, it’s surfable but nothing to write home about. Thursday the 30th is much the same, with a 2ft Southerly swell. The morning is still a bit scrappy, but Thursday afternoon turns glassy and calm, and the energy picks up a bit to 325 – still small, but clean. Friday the 31st is the first little standout in this first run. The morning is glassy, calm, with a 2ft SSW swell. The energy is moderate (290). But it’s the afternoon that gets the heart going: a clean 15 km/h offshore wind from the NE, groomed conditions, and a long 15-second period groundswell pushing in. That’s a window for The Cove. It’s a tricky reef for advanced surfers only, and it can be inconsistent, so you need to be on it. Crowds are possible.

We then hit a bit of a lull. From Saturday the 1st through to Friday the 7th of August, the swell drops to 1ft and the wave energy is low to moderate at best. The winds stay clean – often offshore or glassy – but there’s just not enough push. It’s a long gap of ordinary, small surf. You'd be towing a log just to get wet.

Then we get the good stuff. It starts building on Saturday the 8th of August. The morning is glassy with a 2ft SSW swell, but the real story is the energy jumping to 365 (moderate). The following days get stronger and stronger. Sunday the 9th is a beauty: glassy morning with a 2ft SSW swell, a very long 18-second period, and energy at 562 (moderate to strong). The afternoon stays clean with an offshore breeze. That’s the kind of groundswell that’ll wrap in with some real shape at a reef. Monday the 10th of August is the absolute standout of the whole forecast. We’re looking at a 3ft to 4ft SSW swell, glassy conditions all day, and the energy is pushing 740 (strong). The period is still a generous 15-16 seconds. This is the call. It’s not huge, but the quality will be there. It’s still in the advanced range, and there could be a few others out, but for clean lines on the reef? You won’t be disappointed. After that, the swell eases back through the rest of the week. The 12th still offers clean, surfable waves in the 3ft range with offshore winds, but the magic of the 10th is the one to circle.

Overall, don’t bother with the first week. Wait for that swell train kicking off around the 8th of August, with the best of the best falling on Monday the 10th.

Rusty.

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