The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get stuck into what’s on offer.

First up, we’ve got The Cove, a reef break that’s fairly consistent and exposed to the NW. The water temperature is sitting at 56°F, which is bang on average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

The pattern starts off pretty weak. Wednesday morning the 12th has tiny 1ft swell from the west, with a period around 11 seconds. The combined energy is only 67, so it’s really weak. Wind is light offshore from the SSE, so it’s clean, but there’s just not enough push to get excited. The rest of Wednesday and Thursday are pretty ordinary, with a slight bump to 2ft but still nothing to write home about. Thursday morning the 13th is glassy though, which is a nice touch for the small stuff.

Friday the 14th through to Sunday the 16th are a write-off. The wind is howling from the west and north-west, mostly cross or cross-on, and the swell gets a bit bigger but it’s choppy and messy. The combined energy hits 224 on the Saturday afternoon, but with that wind, it’s not worth paddling out.

Monday the 17th is a bit of a reset. The swell drops back to 3ft, but the wind goes light offshore from the SSE, so it’s clean again. Still, the energy is only 113, so it’s small and weak.

Now, here’s the interesting bit. Tuesday the 18th sees a big jump in size – 12ft in the morning and 15ft in the afternoon from the west. The combined energy skyrockets to 3412 in the afternoon, which is serious power. But, the wind is strong cross-shore, 25 mph in the afternoon, and the period is only 10 seconds. That’s a messy, blown-out, heavy wall of water. For a reef break, that’s expert territory at best, and honestly, it’s going to be a washing machine. Kite surfers might be getting a grin, but for paddle surfing, it’s a pass.

The big swell lingers into Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th, with 10ft and 6ft respectively, but the wind stays cross or cross-on, making it lumpy and ugly. The energy is still high (974 on Wednesday morning), but the quality is poor.

Friday the 21st is where things finally turn. The swell has dropped to a manageable 4ft from the WNW, and the wind is light cross-off from the SE. The combined energy is 315, so it’s got some life, and the comment says “clean.” That’s your best bet in the first week – small, clean, and surfable. Not a standout, but a solid session.

Then we hit a bit of a gap. Saturday the 22nd through to Monday the 25th is mostly poor, with onshore winds from the north and north-east, small swell, and low energy. The 26th of August is a tease – Wednesday morning is glassy with 3ft from the WNW, and the energy is 209. The comment says “expect good surf conditions,” so that’s a nice little window. But the wind goes cross-on in the afternoon and the swell jumps to 6ft, so it’s short-lived.

Now, the standout. Thursday the 27th of August. The morning is clean with light cross-off wind from the east, 6ft swell from the west, and a combined energy of 580. The comment says “expect very good surf conditions.” That’s the one to circle. The afternoon gets bigger – 12ft from the west with a long period of 13 seconds, and the energy is a massive 4162. That’s a groundswell with real power. But it’s a reef break, so that long-period, west swell will line up beautifully. The wind is light cross-on, which is manageable. That afternoon session is going to be pumping, but it’s big wave territory – experts only. If you’ve got the nerve, that’s the best on offer in the whole 16 days.

So, overall, there’s a lot of small, gutless, or windy days, but the 27th of August morning and afternoon are the real standouts. The Friday the 21st is a solid session for a small-wave board. The rest is mostly waiting for that one.

Rusty.

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