The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's get straight into it.

The next 16 days at The Cove are a real mixed bag, and to be honest, the early part of the period is pretty ordinary. There's a lot of cross-shore wind and lumpy conditions to wade through before we get a proper window of clean surf. The water temperature is sitting at 56°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing weird there.

The standout session is hands down Saturday, 22 August, in the morning. The swell is a clean 4 ft from the NNW, with a period of 8 seconds. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the SW, keeping things clean. The combined swell energy is moderate at 208, and the forecast scores it as a good session. The Cove is a reef break that's fairly consistent and exposed to the NW swell, which aligns well with the optimum direction. This is the pick of the bunch.

Looking at the rest of the period, the first few days are forgettable. Wednesday, 12 August, has a weak 1 ft W swell (67 energy) but it's a bit ordinary. Thursday, 13 August, morning is glassy with a 2 ft W swell (82 energy), but it's still small and weak. The afternoon gets a bit of energy with a 2 ft W swell (163 energy), but the cross-on wind from the NE spoils it.

Friday, 14 August, is a write-off with moderate cross-shore winds and a lumpy cross-chop. Saturday, 15 August, sees the swell bump up to 5 ft, but with a fresh cross-shore wind from the W, it's lumpy and messy. The combined energy is moderate (152-288) but the wind is not your friend.

Sunday, 16 August, has a clean offshore wind from the N and NNW, with a 3 ft WNW swell (217 energy) in the morning, but the wave quality is still rated poor. The afternoon is a 3 ft NNW swell (180 energy) with a clean offshore, but it's still not a standout.

Monday, 17 August, is a bit of a tease with a cross-offshore wind from the SE, but the swell is only 2 ft from the N (80-94 energy). The afternoon is clean but still small.

Tuesday, 18 August, is a write-off again with cross-shore winds and tiny swell.

Wednesday, 19 August, the swell pumps up to 7 ft from the W with a 10-second period and a massive 837 energy, but it's a moderate cross-shore wind and the conditions are poor. That's a powerful swell but it's too messy to enjoy. Thursday, 20 August, is similar with 6 ft N swell (631 energy) but cross-on winds.

Friday, 21 August, is a cross-shore mess with 4 ft N swell (296-304 energy).

Then we hit the Saturday, 22 August, morning window I mentioned. The afternoon is glassy with a 3 ft N swell (161 energy), but it's not as good as the morning.

Sunday, 23 August, and Monday, 24 August, are glassy but tiny, with 2-2 ft W swells (60-88 energy). Not worth paddling out.

From Tuesday, 25 August, onwards, it's mostly cross-on or onshore winds with weak swell, except for Thursday, 27 August, which sees a 7 ft W swell (703 energy) but with a cross-on wind from the NE. It's a big swell, over 8 ft, so that's strictly for experts if you're game, but the wind isn't helping.

So, to wrap it up, the best bet is the morning of Saturday, 22 August, at The Cove. It's the only window that ticks all the boxes. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or too lumpy. Keep your eyes on that date.

Rusty.

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