The Cove Surf Break

Lat Long: 58.62° N 3.65° W

The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 12 pm 02 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's The Cove sea temperature is
13.2° C
0.1° 

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 2 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Sunday 2 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 8s 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, 7PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 8s 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 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 8s. 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 1.5m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 7PM.

Wave TypeTime (BST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 7PM (Sun 2nd Aug)4.5ft (1.4m) 8s
Best Surf 7PM (Sun 2nd Aug)4.5ft (1.4m) 8s
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 folks, Rusty here. Gonna break down the next 16 days for The Cove. It’s a reef setup, pretty consistent, and it wants a solid NW swell to really get cookin'. Water temps are sitting right on the money at 56°, so no surprises there.

Overall, it’s a slow start. We're looking at a tough run of weather and wind for the first week. The first few days are a write-off, honestly. We’ve got a small, weak WNW swell on Sunday, but it’s just a crummy 4ft with an 8-second period, plus the wind is cross or choppy. The wave energy is low, around 311 (weak), and it’s not worth paddling for. Monday and Tuesday are much the same—small, weak, and messy. The wind is clean but the swell is just too weak and the period is short. It’s a real battle to get anything rideable.

We get a bit of a bump on Wednesday the 5th of August, with that swell pushing up to 6ft, but it’s from the NE with a 6-second period. That’s a short, choppy, onshore mess. The energy kicks up to 221 (moderate), but it’s just not surfable. The rest of the week is a flat, windy, or choppy nightmare. The swell is tiny, the period is short, and every time we get a pulse, the wind turns on it. It’s a bleak stretch.

Then, we hit the second week. Things start to get exciting. On Thursday the 13th of August, we get a morning pulse of 6ft from the W, but it’s still a bit short at 7 seconds. The real deal is on Friday the 14th of August. This is the standout. The morning session is looking absolutely mint. We’re looking at a clean 8ft swell from the WNW, with a solid 10-second period. The wind is light and cross-off, so the wave faces will be clean. The combined energy is a massive 1132 (strong), which is the biggest we’ll see on the whole forecast. This is a serious groundswell, and The Cove (reef) is the perfect spot for it. Mind you, at 8ft, it’s expert territory. This is not for the beginners. The afternoon gets a bit lumpy, but that morning is the one to chase.

After that, Saturday the 15th of August hangs in there with a solid 7ft to 10ft from the WNW, but the wind gets lumpy, and the energy is still strong (896 and 1047). It’s going to be a big, powerful, and messy day. Sunday the 16th of August sees some improvement, with a clean 6ft in the morning (687 energy, moderate), and lighter wind, making it a more manageable option. The week finishes with a nice, clean, 3ft on Monday the 17th with a 9-second period and light wind, perfect for a fun, easy session.

So, to wrap it up: The first 11 days are a total write-off. The only real standout, the diamond in the rough, is Friday morning, August 14th. That’s the session you want to plan for. It’s big, clean, and powerful. The rest of the second week offers some smaller, cleaner windows, but nothing compares to that Friday.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Tue morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon morning, min 12°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun afternoon, strong winds from the ESE by Tue morning).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri morning, min 10°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

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
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
2
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.1
WNW
8
1.1
WNW
8
1.3
NNW
9
1.2
N
9
1.1
N
9
1
N
8
0.8
N
8
0.7
N
8
1.5
E
5
1.7
NE
6
1.5
NNE
7
1.2
N
6
1.1
N
6
1
N
6
0.8
N
7
0.6
N
8
0.6
W
9
0.7
W
9
0.7
W
9
0.8
W
9
0.7
W
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
167
169
276
230
186
136
86
63
126
219
198
109
78
73
58
42
60
74
74
93
66
Wind (km/h)
15
WNW
15
NW
10
SE
20
ESE
20
SE
25
SE
40
ESE
30
E
25
ENE
30
NE
20
NNE
20
N
25
NW
20
NW
5
WNW
15
SE
20
ESE
20
ESE
25
ESE
25
ESE
15
ESE
Wind State
cross
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-on
on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
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
5:43PM1.68m
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
clear
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
light rain
light rain
mod rain
mod rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
5:03
5:07
5:09
5:11
5:13
5:15
5:18
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
9:35
9:31
9:30
9:28
9:24
9:22
9:20
 mm
3
3
7
7
2
2
2
2
Temp °C
14
13
12
15
13
13
12
12
12
11
11
12
13
13
11
15
15
14
15
15
13
Feels °C
10
10
11
11
10
9
5
7
8
6
6
8
8
8
8
11
10
12
11
11
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