Surf Forecasts:
The Cove surf forecast from 2 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 2 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 9s period, NNW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 3 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 9s period, NNW swell with 283 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 2 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 9s period with NNW 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 02) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Cove in the next 16 days are 1.3m 9s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 03) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 4s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Mon 3rd Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s have a look.
Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the next sixteen days here at The Cove are looking pretty grim. We’re staring down a long, flat spell where the surf just isn’t going to show up in any kind of decent shape. The wind and swell are never on the same page, and when there is a bit of energy, the conditions trash it.
The week starts with a real dud. Sunday the 2nd has a bit of a WNW swell around 4ft, but that cross-onshore wind is just going to chop it all to pieces. The combined energy is a moderate 311, but with that wind, it’s a waste of time. Monday the 3rd is cleaner, with a cross-off ESE breeze, but the swell is small and the word is clear that it’s marginal at best. That theme of “poor surf conditions” just keeps rolling through Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
We finally see a little bit of a window on Saturday the 8th. Morning has a light cross-off breeze from the SW, and a 3ft W swell with a combined energy of 119. The forecast calls it “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” That’s about as good as it gets, and that’s not saying much. Then Sunday the 9th has a proper offshore wind from the S, light at 5 mph, making it glassy clean! But the swell is tiny, only 2ft from the west with a combined energy of 96. You might get a knee-high runner, but it’s a real long-shot session for the die-hards.
The rest of the second week is more of the same. The swell picks up a bit around Thursday the 13th with a 5ft WNW swell, but the wind is a fresh cross-onshore at 35 mph. This is a classic case where the energy is there – moderate to strong at 244 – but the quality is just poor, making it more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer. After that, it drops right off again.
So, honestly, there are no standout days on offer. The best you're looking at is that glassy Sunday the 9th, but you’ll be fighting for scraps. For this region, a blank run like this happens. Keep an eye on the charts, because it can’t stay this poor forever.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 24mm), heaviest during Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon morning, min 10°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun night, fresh winds from the ESE by Tue morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 23mm), heaviest during Tue night. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu morning, min 11°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the ENE on Tue night, calm by Fri afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | E 5 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | NNE 5 | N 6 | N 6 | N 6 | N 7 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 167 | 202 | 276 | 230 | 190 | 136 | 84 | 63 | 121 | 69 | 50 | 44 | 83 | 89 | 100 | 76 | 78 | 96 | 89 | 84 | 82 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:46AM4.59m | 11:48PM4.91m | 12:20PM4.52m | 00:23AM4.81m | 12:59PM4.42m | 1:04AM4.67m | 1:46PM4.29m | 1:55AM4.48m | 2:44PM4.17m | 3:01AM4.28m | 3:55PM4.11m | 4:23AM4.15m | 5:15PM4.16m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:36AM1.32m | 5:43PM1.68m | 6:12AM1.38m | 6:19PM1.78m | 6:50AM1.50m | 6:59PM1.93m | 7:34AM1.68m | 7:47PM2.10m | 8:27AM1.89m | 8:50PM2.27m | 9:36AM2.09m | 10:15PM2.33m | 11:01AM2.17m | 11:47PM2.18m | |||||||
 |  |  | |  |  |  | | | | | |  | |  | | |  | | | | |
 | 5:03 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:11 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:18 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:35 | — | — | 9:31 | — | — | 9:30 | — | — | 9:28 | — | — | 9:24 | — | — | 9:22 | — | — | 9:20 |
mm | — | — | — | — | 1 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
Feels °C | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 9 | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | NNE 8 | W 10 | W 10 | WNW 10 | N 7 | N 7 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 |
| kJ | 144 | 202 | 276 | 230 | 190 | 136 | 84 | 63 | 42 | 29 | 18 | 11 | 8 | 17 | 31 | 76 | 51 | 96 | 89 | 84 | 82 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | W 7 | W 10 | W 10 | E 6 | E 6 | E 5 | N 11 | W 9 | W 9 | N 9 | NNE 9 | NE 8 | NE 8 |
| kJ | — | 102 | 55 | 18 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 61 | 78 | 41 | 30 | 18 | 17 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 7 | W 6 | W 11 | NE 6 | — | — | NNE 10 | N 10 | N 9 | — | W 12 | W 11 |
| kJ | — | — | 2 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 1 | — | — | 18 | 7 | 2 | — | 3 | 9 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | — | — | E 3 | SE 3 | SE 4 | ESE 4 | E 5 | E 5 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | NNE 5 | N 6 | N 6 | N 6 | NNW 7 | — | SE 2 | — | — | E 4 |
| kJ | 167 | — | — | 5 | 7 | 16 | 29 | 50 | 121 | 69 | 50 | 44 | 83 | 89 | 100 | 58 | — | 2 | — | — | 2 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 21 | 28 | 0 | 65 | 9 | 9 | 369 | 289 | 289 | 265 | 223 | 183 | 700 | 354 | 46 | 46 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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 holiday in Scotland - North Coast? If you are looking for accommodation near The Cove, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Scotland - North Coast, consider staying in Scrabster which is 7 km (4 miles) away. Other places in and around Scotland - North Coast where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Wick which is 39 km (24 miles) away and Kirkwall, 56 km (35 miles) away.
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