The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the table for The Cove over the next couple of weeks. There’s a slow start, but a real gem hidden in there if you’ve got some patience.

The pattern kicks off with a bit of a washout. Wednesday the 2nd sees a solid 8ft to 8ft NW groundswell hitting, with a long 10 to 11-second period, but the wind is all wrong. It’s coming from the WNW at 12 mph, making it a lumpy cross-on mess, and the afternoon isn’t much better with a cross-shore chop. The water is sitting at 57°, just a touch warmer than usual for early September, nothing crazy but you’ll still want a good spring suit.

Thursday the 3rd is a big fat zero in my book. The swell drops to 4ft on the morning, but with a 22 mph cross-wind, you’re just getting whitecaps and frustration. The afternoon cleans up with a cross-off breeze, but the swell is a measly 3ft with only weak energy (291)... not worth paddling out for.

Friday the 4th brings the first real dose of power, but with a catch. You’ve got an 8ft W swell at 12 seconds (2092 combined energy) coming in clean with a cross-off wind in the morning. That’s enticing, but the Rating says it’s marginal, so tide might be an issue. By the afternoon, a 34 mph near gale rips through, jacking the swell to 13ft. That’s big, clean in a way, but pure strong wind and dangerous for anyone but the most experienced chargers. This spot is a reef, so a 13ft set with that wind would be a survival session, not a fun one.

Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th are frustrating. Saturday has plenty of size – 10ft and then 8ft – but the wind is cross or onshore all day, just fresh lumpy junk. Sunday, however, is the best session of the week. On the 6th, the swell drops to 3ft in the morning, then 3ft in the afternoon, but the wind shifts to a clean offshore from the south-southeast at 12 mph. The period is only 9 seconds, so it’s not packing massive power (around 200 combined energy), but on a reef break like The Cove, an offshore breeze and 3ft clean waves with a friendly crowd profile will give you glassy, peeling lines. That Sunday afternoon is your standout for the near term – don’t sleep on it.

The following week, from Monday the 7th through to Thursday the 17th, is a long, bleak stretch. There’s a big pulse on Tuesday the 8th (12ft, 13-second SW swell) but it’s accompanied by 34 mph gales and rain, just a total blowout. After that, the energy fades to weak levels, often below 100. The swell never really gets clean and the wind keeps swinging onshore or cross. There’s a brief flicker on Sunday the 13th afternoon, with a 5ft W swell and a moderate offshore, scoring well enough for a session. That could be your only long-range hope, but it’s a long way out, so keep an eye on it.

Bottom line: If you can, get out Sunday the 6th afternoon. It’s the only true clean, glassy window in the near future. The rest is either blown out, too big with bad wind, or just flat and weak. The strong energy bursts in the first week are all marred by wind – not the good kind.

Rusty

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