The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the table for The Cove.

Right off the bat, it’s a bit of a slow start. The first week is pretty much a write-off. We’ve got a solid stretch of poor surf conditions from the 18th right through until the 24th of July. The wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, pretty breezy, and the swell is all mixed up and short-period. It’s just not happening. You’d be fighting chop and crumbly waves for no reward. That’s a tough run of about seven days with nothing worth paddling out for.

Now, things start to get interesting around the 25th of July. The swell is building, and we finally see a change in the wind. Saturday the 25th, the wind swings to a cross-offshore from the SW, and the water cleans right up. The swell is coming in from the WNW at 7 ft, with a period of 9 seconds, and the combined energy is solidly in the strong range (636). It’s still a bit raw, but it's clean. That’s a glimmer of hope. By Saturday afternoon, the swell pushes a touch bigger to 7 ft from the WNW, period stretches to 10 seconds, and the energy jumps to 861. It’s marginal, but the clean face is a massive step up from what we’ve seen.

The standout window, and I mean the real highlight, looks to be on Sunday the 26th of July. The morning brings a clean 5 ft swell from the WNW with a 10-second period. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the W at just 9 mph. The combined energy is still a solid 439, and the word from the forecast is 'expect good surf conditions.' It’s not massive, but it’s clean, it’s got shape, and it’s a reef break that will handle that period well. The Cove is a fairly consistent spot, and this is where it shines. The afternoon lightens up even more with a 4 ft swell and a light breeze. It’s going to be glassy.

The Monday the 27th is still clean, but the swell drops to 4 ft and the wind picks up a bit. It’s surfable, but not the hero session.

Further out, around the 30th of July and into the 31st, we see a serious spike in size. The 30th of July afternoon has a 12 ft swell from the WNW with a 10-second period and a combined energy of 2637. That’s very strong energy. But the wind is cross-onshore, making it choppy, and that size is for experts only. The 31st of July morning has a 8 ft swell from the WNW, a 10-second period, and a gentle cross-shore breeze. The energy is still very strong at 1325, and the conditions are cleaner. That’s a promising look for the end of the month, but it’s a long-range call, so keep an eye on it.

The water temp at The Cove is sitting at 56°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

To wrap it up, if you’re looking for a clean, fun session, the standout is the morning of Sunday the 26th of July. It’s got the right wind, a decent swell, and it’s at a reef break that likes that kind of energy. The bigger stuff later in the month is for the experienced crew only, and it’s a bit further out in the forecast, so treat it as promising but not locked in.

Rusty.

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