The Cove Surf Break

Lat Long: 58.62° N 3.65° W

The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 6 am 14 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's The Cove sea temperature is
13.6°C
1.0° 

The Cove surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


The Cove surf forecast from 14 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Sunday 20 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 13s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Friday 18 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 14s period, W swell with 8,564 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 14 Sep, 1PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 12s 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 Monday (Sep 14) at 1PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 9s. 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 4.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 18) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Monday (Sep 21) at 1PM.

Wave TypeTime (BST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 1PM (Mon 14th Sep)3ft (0.9m) 12s
Best Surf 7PM (Sun 20th Sep)13ft (4.0m) 13s
Most Powerful 7AM (Fri 18th Sep)15ft (4.5m) 14s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Howdy folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s shaping up at The Cove over the next couple of weeks. This is a reef setup that gets pretty exposed, and it likes that NW swell window. The water’s sitting at 57°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year – a nice little anomaly, feels good.

The forecast opens with a solid run. Monday 14th September morning kicks things off with a clean 3ft swell from the NNW, period around 12 seconds. It’s a bit small, but the wind is offshore from the south, so things will be lined up and tidy. The wave energy is moderate at 386, but the quality is there. Monday afternoon picks up a bit more size, 4ft from the west, period a touch shorter at 9 seconds, but the wind stays offshore and gentle, giving you clean little runners. This is the window for the intermediate crew – not too gnarly, good shape. Crowds are always a possibility here, so get amongst it early.

Tuesday 15th September turns ugly. The wind swings onshore and picks up, and the swell gets messy. Wednesday 16th September isn’t much better, with a choppy 7ft and cross-onshore wind. We’ve got a lull in quality here for a few days. The Thursday and Friday mornings have some size, but the wind is strong and the reports are marginal at best.

Then the standout arrives. Friday 18th September afternoon – this is the one. A solid 12ft groundswell from the WNW, period a nice 12 seconds, with a gentle offshore breeze from the south. The wave energy is pumping at 3765 – strong stuff. This is an experienced surfer’s wave, no doubt. It’s steep, powerful, and that reef will be working. If you’ve got the skills, this is your session.

The swell stays big into the weekend, but the wind becomes a problem. Saturday 19th September is a write-off with near gale-force winds. Sunday 20th September has some massive 13ft+ swell but crosswind chop destroys it. You’d be better off with a kite board in that stuff than a paddle.

The following week has moments. Monday 21st September afternoon looks good again – 7ft from the WNW, period 11 seconds, and clean with cross-off winds. Energy is moderate at 1182. For the experienced guys, that’s a quality session.

We then see another gap in quality through Wednesday, but look ahead to Friday 25th September. Friday morning brings a 7ft swell from the west, long period of 15 seconds, and light offshore winds. That’s a beautiful, clean groundswell. By Friday afternoon, it’s glassy – wind at just 3 mph from the northwest, swell 8ft from the WNW, 16-second period. The energy is massive at 2481. That’s point-and-reef perfection. This is the second standout.

Sunday 27th September afternoon also looks promising – 8ft from the WNW, 11-second period, and glassy conditions again. A gorgeous clean swell.

Then it gets wild again. Monday 28th September morning has a 16ft monster from the west, but with strong cross-off winds. That’s only for the hardcore, and even then, the conditions are marginal. The run-up to the end of the forecast is better, with Tuesday 29th September afternoon showing a clean 8ft from the WNW with a moderate offshore.

So, to wrap it up: if you’re after the best on offer, aim for Friday 18th September afternoon and Friday 25th September afternoon. The reef will be firing, clean, and powerful. The Cove is on.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 29mm), heaviest during Mon night. Very mild (max 17°C on Mon afternoon, min 10°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Mon night, fresh winds from the NW by Tue night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Fri morning, min 11°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the S on Fri afternoon, near gales from the W by Sat night).

Monday
14
Tuesday
15
Wednesday
16
Thursday
17
Friday
18
Saturday
19
Sunday
20
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
3
0
0
0
0
0
2
1
1
1
0
6
5
2
1
0
0
0
3
5
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.9
NNW
12
1.3
W
9
1.2
W
10
1.1
W
11
1.7
W
10
1.7
NW
6
2
NNW
8
1.4
W
11
1.2
W
9
2
W
9
3
W
12
4
W
15
4.5
WNW
13
3.5
WNW
12
3
W
11
2.5
W
11
3
W
10
3
W
10
4
W
12
4
WNW
13
4
WNW
13
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
254
274
300
267
573
195
498
445
251
695
2495
7275
7370
3749
2302
1646
2000
1891
4543
5376
5434
Wind (km/h)
20
S
15
S
10
NNW
20
WNW
30
WNW
35
NW
25
NW
10
W
30
S
30
SW
35
WSW
45
W
30
WSW
15
S
30
WSW
40
WSW
50
WSW
50
W
40
W
25
W
15
SSE
Wind State
off
off
on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
High Tide
11:16AM4.81m
11:23PM5.00m
11:47AM4.64m
11:58PM4.71m
12:19PM4.44m
00:35AM4.38m
12:56PM4.22m
1:21AM4.04m
1:43PM4.00m
2:27AM3.75m
2:54PM3.82m
4:08AM3.61m
4:32PM3.79m
Low Tide
5:15PM1.44m
5:39AM1.36m
5:50PM1.64m
6:12AM1.69m
6:27PM1.89m
6:47AM2.04m
7:09PM2.16m
7:27AM2.38m
8:04PM2.43m
8:25AM2.67m
9:34PM2.60m
10:12AM2.82m
11:27PM2.52m
cloud
light rain
heavy rain
mod rain
light rain
cloud
clear
cloud
rain showers
part cloud
light rain
rain showers
cloud
light rain
rain showers
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
light rain
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:39
6:41
6:43
6:46
6:48
6:50
6:52
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:38
7:36
7:32
7:30
7:27
7:23
7:21
 mm
2
13
7
3
4
1
1
1
1
4
Temp °C
16
17
15
13
13
11
11
12
12
12
13
11
14
14
13
13
13
11
13
13
14
Feels °C
13
15
15
9
8
5
5
9
6
5
6
4
8
11
6
5
3
1
5
7
10
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for The Cove:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our The Cove surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


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.

Nearest locationNearest