The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s coming.

Honestly, we’re looking at a long dry spell right off the bat. Nothing worth paddling out for for the next four or five days. The first real shot of anything decent doesn’t pop up until Wednesday afternoon, September 2nd, at The Cove. So you’ve got a solid stretch of flat or junk surf to sit through.

The next few days are mostly a loss – small, wind-chopped waves and onshore breezes. There’s a clean window on Monday morning, August 31st, with a light offshore breeze, but the swell is barely a foot and a half – not worth the drive.

The first standout is Wednesday afternoon, September 2nd. The wind swings light and cross-offshore from the ESE, and it cleans right up. The swell comes in at about 5 feet from the NNW with a long 12-second period – that’s pure groundswell energy. The combined energy reads 633, so it’s got some push. That’s your best bet in the first week. The water temp is sitting around 57°, which is pretty average for this time of year, so bring a 4/3.

Thursday afternoon, September 3rd also looks clean with a light cross-offshore breeze, but the swell is only 3 feet from the north – fun, but not a standout.

Now, Saturday morning, September 5th is the big one. We get a solid 13-foot swell from the west with an 11-second period. The combined energy is through the roof at 3542 – that’s some serious power. The wind is cross-offshore and conditions are clean. This is heavy, big-wave territory – experts only. This is a reef break, so it will handle the size, and crowds are listed as “sometimes,” so you might have a few others out. That’s the standout of the entire outlook, just keep in mind it’s over a week out. The afternoon also holds at around 11-12 feet from the west.

Sunday morning, September 6th, is still in the mix with a 7-foot west swell and clean cross-offshore wind, but the energy drops to 788 and the period shortens to 9 seconds. Fun but not epic.

Then we get another nice window on Tuesday morning, September 8th. The wind goes glassy from the ESE – dead calm – and we’ve got a 7-foot swell from the NW with a 10-second period. The combined energy is 979, almost in the strong range. Glassy conditions and chest-to-head-high waves at a reef break? That’s a beauty of a session if you can get out.

So, to wrap it up: the two clear winners are Wednesday afternoon, September 2nd for a clean, fun session, and Saturday morning, September 5th for the big, powerful, expert-level swell. The glassy morning on the 8th is a great bonus. It’s a long-range call, so stay flexible.

- Rusty

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