
Surf Forecasts:
The Cove surf forecast from 8 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 12 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s period, WNW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 15 Sep, 1PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 11s period, WNW swell with 5,136 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 9 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 9s 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 (Sep 09) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 7s. Another secondary swell of 0.8m and 7s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Cove in the next 16 days are 4.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 15) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 3s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 10) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Wed 9th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Sat 12th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Tue 15th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on the table for The Cove over the next couple of weeks. It’s a reef setup exposed to the north-west, and it’s fairly consistent, which we like, but don’t go thinking it’s a straight run of perfection.
We’ve got a bit of a wait on our hands. Surf kicks off Tuesday morning the 8th with a solid but messy 12 ft W swell, period at 11 seconds. Problem is, that’s coming with a stiff 19 mph offshore wind, which sounds good, but the water’s sitting at a cool 57°, just a touch warmer than average for this time of year. The combined energy is pumping at 2586 (moderate-strong), but conditions are marginal with that wind and some tide issues. It’s not a write-off, but it’s a picky session for intermediates.
Tuesday afternoon gets completely blown out with onshore wind – skip it. Wednesday the 9th is small and choppy. Thursday the 10th sees the swell drop to under 3 ft, but we finally get clean, offshore conditions by afternoon. Tiny waves, though – not worth suiting up for unless you’re desperate for a paddle.
The first real standout arrives on Saturday the 12th. Big news here. We’ve got an 12 ft WNW groundswell pulsing in with a 13-second period (long period), and a moderate offshore wind from the SSE keeping it clean. The combined energy is massive at 3919 (strong). This is an expert-only zone – over 8 ft, so beginners, stay on the sand. The long-period nature means the sets will be powerful and well-spaced, but at The Cove’s reef, that’s proper wave shape. Saturday morning is your best bet across the whole forecast. Saturday afternoon still has size (10 ft) but drops off a bit with cross-off wind – still clean, but the tide might mess with it.
Sunday the 13th through Monday the 14th drops down in size and picks up cross-onshore wind. Not great, not terrible. Tuesday the 15th jumps back up to a 13 ft WNW swell, but it’s blowing 25 mph cross-off in the morning, making for a clean but extremely gnarly session. That’s big-wave territory for experts only. Afternoon is a total loss with onshore wind.
The gap from Wednesday the 16th through Monday the 21st is mostly average or poor. Wind is all over the shop, and the swell fluctuates between 3 ft and 10 ft. Nothing really consistent or clean.
Then we get our second standout, and it’s a beauty for the end of the window. On Tuesday the 22nd at 22 September, we’ve got a glassy morning with zero wind. That’s right – glass. Swell sits at 12 ft from the WNW with a 14-second period, and the energy is through the roof at 5359 (strong to very strong). This is exceptional surf for experts. Long period again, so the reef will handle it beautifully. The water will feel about average for September.
Wednesday the 23rd holds it together with a 10 ft WNW, clean cross-off wind, and still solid energy. As we push deeper into the second week, the confidence drops a little, but Tuesday morning the 22nd and Wednesday morning the 23rd are the ones to circle.
So, to put a fine point on it: Saturday morning, 12 September, and Tuesday morning, 22 September, are the pick of the crop. Get on it if you’re experienced. The rest is either too lumpy, too small, or too windy.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Tue morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Thu morning, min 10°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the N on Tue afternoon, light winds from the WSW by Wed afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 16°C on Sat afternoon, min 11°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Fri morning, calm by Sun afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | |||||||||||||||
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 11 | WNW 11 | NW 10 | NNW 8 | W 9 | W 6 | W 7 | W 8 | W 11 | W 7 | W 9 | W 11 | WNW 13 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | W 9 | W 11 | W 11 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
2586 | 1555 | 1219 | 285 | 189 | 46 | 86 | 90 | 566 | 482 | 1014 | 1504 | 3912 | 2866 | 1722 | 854 | 631 | 288 | 189 | 1148 | 1829 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:29PM4.65m | 8:16AM4.69m | 8:17PM4.95m | 9:00AM4.89m | 9:00PM5.19m | 9:38AM5.00m | 9:38PM5.31m | 10:12AM5.01m | 10:14PM5.32m | 10:45AM4.94m | 10:49PM5.21m | 11:16AM4.81m | 11:23PM5.00m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:20PM1.99m | 1:50AM1.36m | 2:08PM1.71m | 2:35AM1.05m | 2:50PM1.49m | 3:16AM0.87m | 3:29PM1.34m | 3:55AM0.82m | 4:05PM1.28m | 4:31AM0.90m | 4:40PM1.32m | 5:06AM1.09m | 5:15PM1.44m | ||||||||
6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | |
— | 7:55 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:44 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:38 | — | |
mm | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 18 | 18 | 14 |
Feels °C | 7 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 15 | 15 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 11 | WNW 11 | — | W 10 | NNW 7 | W 6 | W 7 | W 8 | ESE 7 | SE 8 | N 11 | W 11 | WNW 13 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | W 9 | NNW 11 | N 11 |
2586 | 1555 | — | 183 | 91 | 39 | 86 | 90 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 1504 | 3912 | 2866 | 1722 | 854 | 631 | 288 | 189 | 133 | 86 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | N 6 | W 18 | WNW 14 | N 10 | N 9 | — | NNW 14 | NNW 13 | NNW 12 | NNW 11 | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | 33 | 27 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 1454 | 7 | 6 | — | 116 | 184 | 258 | 170 | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | W 8 | W 12 | W 12 | — | — | — | NNW 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | 46 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NW 10 | NNW 8 | W 9 | — | S 3 | SSE 4 | W 11 | W 7 | W 9 | — | S 4 | NNE 9 | — | — | — | SSE 2 | S 4 | W 11 | W 11 |
— | — | 1219 | 285 | 189 | — | 11 | 8 | 566 | 482 | 1014 | — | 9 | 8 | — | — | — | 1 | 13 | 1148 | 1829 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 621 | 1682 | 532 | 46 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 171 | 752 | 776 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 593 | 35 | 34 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.










