Surf Forecasts:
The Cove surf forecast from 22 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 11s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 11s period, WNW swell with 1,065 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 10s period with WNW 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 Sunday (Aug 23) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m 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 2.1m 11s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 5s period and expected on Friday (Aug 28) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let's break it down for our local patch, The Cove. It's a reef break, so you need to know what you're doing. The next couple of weeks start off rough, but there's one killer session if you've got the skill.
First few days are a bust. Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd are choppy and messy, with onshore winds and weak swell energy. Not worth a second look.
Then, Monday the 24th of August is the real payoff. The morning is the clear standout. We'll see a clean 7ft swell from the WNW, with a 11-second period – that's proper groundswell. The combined energy is cranking at 1073, so there's serious power. With a light cross-offshore breeze from the southeast, those reef waves will be peeling off beautifully. This one's for the experienced guys only; 7ft is a solid wave, and with that energy, it's no beginner's playground. Crowds are possible, so get out early. Water temperature is about average for this time of year. Monday afternoon drops to a cleaner 6ft but gets a note for questionable tide conditions, so the morning is the real window.
After that pulse, the swell fades quickly. Tuesday the 25th has clean but small 4ft waves, and then it's mostly flat or tiny for the rest of the week. There's a quick 4ft bump on Sunday the 30th of August with clean conditions, but the wind blows up to 30 km/h, spoiling it. From the 31st all the way to the 6th of September, it's a long stretch of nothing – waves under 3ft and very weak energy. The 3rd and 4th are especially flat.
So, the bottom line: Monday the 24th of August morning at The Cove is your one and only standout. If you're an experienced surfer, that's the session. Otherwise, there's a big dry spell coming. The reef handles that long-period swell perfectly.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon afternoon, min 10°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed morning, min 12°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the ESE on Wed afternoon, light winds from the WNW by Thu afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | |||||||||||||||
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) | N 9 | NNE 8 | N 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 8 | W 8 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 153 | 73 | 48 | 59 | 123 | 530 | 1065 | 763 | 400 | 273 | 153 | 51 | 21 | 12 | 10 | 51 | 60 | 35 | 11 | 4 | 4 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 4:38AM3.72m | 5:18PM3.86m | 6:14AM3.76m | 6:34PM4.01m | 7:22AM3.94m | 7:29PM4.24m | 8:08AM4.17m | 8:10PM4.48m | 8:43AM4.38m | 8:45PM4.70m | 9:14AM4.57m | 9:16PM4.89m | 9:44AM4.72m | 9:46PM5.03m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:03AM2.65m | 00:01AM2.49m | 12:23PM2.55m | 1:05AM2.25m | 1:18PM2.35m | 1:49AM1.97m | 1:59PM2.11m | 2:26AM1.71m | 2:35PM1.88m | 2:59AM1.48m | 3:08PM1.68m | 3:31AM1.30m | 3:40PM1.52m | ||||||||
 | |  | |  |  |  | | | | |  | |  |  | |  | |  | |  | |
 | 5:48 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — |
 | — | 8:44 | — | — | 8:40 | — | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:36 | — | — | 8:32 | — | — | 8:30 | — | — | 8:27 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 3 |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
Feels °C | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 9 | NNE 8 | N 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 8 | E 7 | E 8 | E 10 | W 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 |
| kJ | 153 | 73 | 48 | 59 | 123 | 530 | 1065 | 763 | 400 | 273 | 153 | 51 | 21 | 11 | 39 | 49 | 66 | 35 | 50 | 49 | 29 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | W 10 | W 10 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 7 | NE 7 | — | N 7 | N 6 | N 6 | N 8 | N 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 10 | W 9 | N 7 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 |
| kJ | 5 | 8 | 8 | 21 | 11 | 5 | 8 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 10 | 51 | 60 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 4 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | W 16 | W 8 | WNW 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 7 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | — | N 7 | N 7 | N 6 |
| kJ | 5 | 5 | 5 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | — | 1 | 3 | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 9 | WNW 4 | WNW 4 | — | — | — | — | E 7 | SE 4 | SE 4 | ESE 4 | ESE 3 | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | SE 2 | ESE 3 | ESE 4 | E 5 | ESE 4 | ESE 3 | SSE 4 |
| kJ | 137 | 22 | 19 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 9 | 21 | 11 | 6 | 16 | 31 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 67 | 14 | 4 | 8 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 229 | 259 | 36 | 63 | 132 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 170 | 259 | 104 | 0 | 9 | 50 | 214 | 203 | 186 |
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.
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