The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

We’re looking at a pretty mixed bag over the next couple of weeks. The first real action kicks off on Wednesday, July 8th, with some clean morning waves rolling in. We’ve got a 4ft swell from the west, with a solid 9-second period pushing a moderate wave energy (225). That light cross-offshore breeze from the southwest is a beauty, setting it up nice and clean. This is easily the standout of the whole run. The Cove is a reef break, intermediate-level, and it’s fairly consistent, exposed to that west swell perfectly. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing wild. Just a heads up, it can get crowded here sometimes.

Thursday morning the 9th repeats the trick – 4ft from the west, 9 seconds, with a glassy cross-offshore breeze. It’s clean again. Thursday afternoon gets a bit messy with onshore wind, so stick to the mornings.

Then the wheels fall off. From Friday the 10th through to Sunday the 13th, it’s a long stretch of poor surf. We’ve got cross-onshore winds, chop, and small, weak swells. The combined energy drops from moderate (214) right down to weak (31). Sunday morning the 12th goes glassy, but the swell is only 3ft and the energy is weak (85) – surfable, but ordinary.

Monday the 13th is flat out poor with tiny waves.

Things perk back up a little on Tuesday the 14th. The morning brings a 3ft swell from the WNW, but here’s the kicker – the period jumps to 11 seconds, giving it some decent groundswell punch and a combined energy of (261). It’s also clean under a cross-offshore breeze. This feels like a second-best option, but a distant second to that Wednesday morning. Tuesday afternoon is marginal, and from Wednesday the 15th onward, it’s back to small, weak surf until Sunday the 19th.

Now, into the second week, we get a funky little pulse. On Monday, July 20th, we’re looking at 5ft swell from the WNW, but the period is a weak 6 seconds and it’s cross-onshore and choppy. The energy is moderate (172), but the quality is poor.

Then things get interesting but ugly for experts only. Tuesday the 21st sees a big jump: 8ft swell from the west, with a 9-second period. The combined energy jumps to 1136 (very strong). But it’s onshore wind and the surf quality is ranked poor – it’ll be a raw, powerful, and lumpy mess. It continues through Wednesday and Thursday, with big (8ft) but onshore and choppy conditions. Not a fun paddle for anyone but the most experienced, and even then, it won't be pretty.

Overall, the only truly clean, good surf window is Wednesday the 8th and Thursday the 9th of July in the mornings. The rest is either flat, blown out, or too big and messy. If you can paddle, the morning of the 8th is the one.

Stay safe out there.
Rusty.

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