Surf Forecasts:
The Cove surf forecast from 29 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 3 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 10s period, N swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 3 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 11s period, N swell with 969 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 29 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 8s period with W 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 Wednesday (Jul 29) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 7s. 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 2.0m 11s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 03) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 30) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Wed 29th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Mon 3rd Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Mon 3rd Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let me tell you how things are shaping up around here.
Honestly, the next week and a half is a bit of a struggle. We’re looking at a real dry spell, with no decent surf on the horizon for most of the fortnight. There’s a long gap from now, starting Wednesday the 29th of July, right through until Friday the 7th of August where things just look messy, wind-battered, or too small to bother with. It’s not a good run.
The only real standout, and I mean the only one worth getting up early for, comes in the second week. On Friday morning, the 7th of August, we’ve got a pulse of energy moving in on The Cove, a reef break. It’s a fairly consistent spot, exposed to the NW, which is the direction this swell is coming from. You’re looking at waves around 5 ft with a period of 7 seconds from the WNW. The wind is swinging out of the S at 9 mph, making for a clean, gentle offshore breeze. The wave energy is moderate, sitting at 258. That offshore wind is the key here, it’s going to keep the face of the waves nice and clean for your intermediate skills.
The water temp at The Cove is sitting at 56 °F, which is right on the money for this time of year. No surprises there.
Everything else in that second week? It’s small, or the wind is junk.
So, to put it simply: sit tight, wait for that Friday the 7th of August window at The Cove. It’s the only game in town, and it looks like a decent one.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Thu morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Wed morning, min 11°C on Thu morning). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Sat night. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat morning, min 10°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Sat morning, calm by Mon night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | WNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | N 7 | WNW 6 | N 8 | W 6 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | N 8 | N 11 | N 11 | N 10 | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 735 | 264 | 98 | 99 | 131 | 107 | 180 | 85 | 45 | 83 | 60 | 49 | 250 | 168 | 89 | 969 | 935 | 586 | 369 | 282 | 152 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | off | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | glassy | on | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 9:42PM4.80m | 10:12AM4.53m | 10:14PM4.89m | 10:43AM4.59m | 10:44PM4.94m | 11:14AM4.61m | 11:15PM4.95m | 11:46AM4.59m | 11:48PM4.91m | 12:20PM4.52m | 00:23AM4.81m | 12:59PM4.42m | 1:04AM4.67m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:30PM1.78m | 3:58AM1.44m | 4:04PM1.69m | 4:30AM1.35m | 4:37PM1.63m | 5:03AM1.31m | 5:10PM1.63m | 5:36AM1.32m | 5:43PM1.68m | 6:12AM1.38m | 6:19PM1.78m | 6:50AM1.50m | 6:59PM1.93m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  | | | | | | |  | | | | |  | | |  | |
 | 4:56 | — | — | 4:58 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:03 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:44 | — | — | 9:42 | — | — | 9:38 | — | — | 9:37 | — | — | 9:35 | — | — | 9:31 | — | — | 9:30 |
mm | — | — | 2 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 |
Feels °C | 10 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 9 | WNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | W 8 | N 8 | N 8 | WNW 6 | N 7 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | NNW 8 | N 8 | N 11 | N 11 | N 10 | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 |
| kJ | 76 | 264 | 98 | 99 | 18 | 42 | 28 | 85 | 45 | 55 | 60 | 46 | 42 | 77 | 89 | 969 | 935 | 586 | 369 | 282 | 152 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | N 9 | W 8 | W 8 | — | — | — | N 7 | — | NNE 9 | NNE 10 | WNW 9 | — | — | WNW 7 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 5 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 |
| kJ | — | 55 | 80 | 41 | — | — | — | 38 | — | 17 | 18 | 28 | — | — | 76 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 10 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NW 11 | N 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 11 | W 10 | NNE 8 | — | — | NW 9 | — | — | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 |
| kJ | — | 18 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 12 | — | — | 83 | — | — | 6 | 14 | 6 | 6 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | — | — | — | NNW 8 | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | — | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | W 6 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | — | W 7 | W 6 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 735 | — | — | — | 131 | 107 | 180 | — | 45 | 83 | 48 | 49 | 250 | 168 | — | 24 | 29 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 148 | 28 | 0 | 7 | 621 | 412 | 424 | 424 | 7 | 830 | 1268 | 0 | 183 | 183 | 7 | 65 | 50 | 0 | 16 | 16 | 17 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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