The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty.

Well, to be honest, this is a pretty lean run for The Cove (that’s a reef setup, intermediate level, exposed to NW swell). The whole 16-day window is a bit of a struggle, but there are a couple of brief windows where it might just come together. The first recommendation doesn’t show up until Wednesday, August 12th, so there’s a gap of a couple of days with nothing worth paddling out for.

We kick off Monday August 10th and Tuesday August 11th with messy, lumpy conditions and cross-onshore winds. Not worth suiting up. Wednesday August 12th morning sees a tiny 1ft from the west with a light offshore from the south—clean, but honestly, the energy is weak (76), and the period is short at 11 seconds. The afternoon gets interesting: glassy conditions with a 2ft west swell, 10-second period. It’s surfable but very ordinary. Thursday August 13th morning offers glassy 2ft from the west, again weak energy (69). That’s the best of the first week—small, clean, but you’d be on a log.

Friday August 14th and Saturday August 15th blow out with moderate cross-shore winds and tiny swell. Forget it.

Sunday August 16th afternoon is the first real standout. The wind goes glassy, and we get 4ft from the north with a 9-second period. The combined energy jumps to a moderate 258—that’s some push. Conditions are clean, and it’s the most surfable session in the first 7 days. Still not big, but it’ll be fun if you’re milking what’s there.

Monday August 17th gets hammered by a 25 mph westerly cross-shore. Nasty. Tuesday August 18th morning brings a bigger 7ft from the west, but the period is a short 7 seconds. Combined energy is moderate at 412, and it’s clean with a light SSW cross-offshore. That’s decent size but sloppy period—could be fun on a point but this is a reef, so it’ll be lumpy. The afternoon sees the same height but with cross-shore wind ripples. Manageable, not great.

Now, Wednesday August 19th morning is the standout of the whole outlook. We’ve got 8ft from the west with a solid 12-second period—that’s proper groundswell. Combined energy is strong at 1717. The wind is fresh from the WSW, cross-off and clean. That’s a solid, powerful swell for experienced surfers at The Cove. It’s in the expert zone size-wise, and the long period will line up nicely on this reef. Expect some big, well-shaped sets. Crowds are possible here. The water temp is about average for this time of year. The afternoon holds 8ft at 11 seconds, but the wind turns more cross-shore, so the morning is the pick.

Thursday August 20th stays around 6ft from the WNW with moderate cross-off wind and clean conditions. Energy is 682—still good, but dropping off. The wave period shortens to 10 seconds. A solid backup day.

After that, it’s a slow fade. Friday August 21st to Monday August 25th is mostly poor surf with small, choppy, or onshore conditions. The last few days are barely a ripple—1ft and a 5-second period on Monday August 24th. Not worth it.

So, nutshell: The best on offer is Wednesday August 19th morning—8ft west groundswell at 12 seconds with clean cross-off wind. That’s the serious session. Sunday August 16th afternoon is the smaller, glassy backup. The rest is thin, so pick your windows carefully.

Stay patient,
Rusty.

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