Surf Forecasts:
The Cove surf forecast from 15 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 9s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 10s period, W swell with 338 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 17 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 7s period with N 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 Monday (Aug 17) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m 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 1.3m 10s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ll be your surf reporter for the coming days.
Right off the bat, to be straight with you, The Cove is not looking like a place you’d want to be in a hurry. The next few days are a write-off with poor surf conditions, cross-shore winds, and lumpy chop. The only real glimmer in this entire 16-day stretch is Wednesday, August 19th on the morning session.
Come Wednesday morning, August 19th, The Cove will finally clean up. You’re looking at 3ft of swell from the West with a period of 9 seconds. The wind will be light and cross-offshore from the SE, which should groom the faces nicely. The combined swell energy is moderate at 205, so there’s some push behind it. This is your standout window – the only time in the whole forecast where conditions line up for a decent paddle. Water temp is sitting at 57°, which is just about average for this time of year, no surprises there.
For the rest of the forecast, it’s grim. After that Wednesday morning blip, the wind swings onshore and the swell stays messy. From August 20th through to the 30th, you’re looking at a long run of poor to marginal surf. Half the time it’s cross-onshore or onshore wind, and the swell is junk. Even when the wind does go offshore again on Friday, August 28th and Sunday, August 30th, the swell is barely 2ft to 2ft with weak energy (under 90), so it’s flat and ordinary. No point getting wet.
Given the setup is mostly beach-and-reef with persistent cross-shore winds and lumpy conditions for much of the period, this stretch looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddling into waves.
So, to sum it up: if you want a surf, your only real shot is that Wednesday morning, August 19th, at The Cove. Be there early.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat morning, min 11°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WNW on Sat afternoon, calm by Sun night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Tue morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue morning, min 11°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | |||||||||||||||
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 6 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | N 7 | W 9 | N 7 | N 9 | NNE 9 | NNE 9 | W 9 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | NNE 8 | N 8 | N 9 | N 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 105 | 270 | 264 | 177 | 91 | 40 | 39 | 41 | 38 | 56 | 58 | 43 | 170 | 219 | 338 | 277 | 181 | 118 | 136 | 150 | 234 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | on |
High Tide | 11:18AM4.92m | 11:19PM5.28m | 11:55AM4.77m | 11:57PM5.10m | 12:32PM4.57m | 00:36AM4.83m | 1:10PM4.35m | 1:17AM4.51m | 1:52PM4.13m | 2:06AM4.17m | 2:44PM3.95m | 3:10AM3.88m | 3:54PM3.84m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:07PM1.40m | 5:37AM0.98m | 5:45PM1.53m | 6:16AM1.25m | 6:23PM1.74m | 6:55AM1.57m | 7:03PM1.99m | 7:36AM1.93m | 7:49PM2.25m | 8:23AM2.27m | 8:51PM2.49m | 9:29AM2.54m | 10:25PM2.60m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | | | |  |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 5:33 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:41 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:02 | — | — | 9:00 | — | 8:57 | — | — | 8:54 | — | — | 8:52 | — | — | 8:49 | — | — | 8:46 | — |
mm | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 4 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Feels °C | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 | NNW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | N 9 | NNE 9 | NNE 9 | W 9 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | N 8 | N 9 | N 8 |
| kJ | 25 | 24 | 22 | 26 | 91 | 36 | 39 | 39 | 38 | 56 | 58 | 43 | 170 | 219 | 338 | 277 | 181 | 78 | 136 | 150 | 234 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NNW 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 7 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | ESE 5 | W 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | — | — | — | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 |
| kJ | — | — | 8 | 11 | 42 | 40 | 31 | 41 | 22 | 12 | 7 | 10 | 35 | 18 | 17 | — | — | — | 34 | 21 | 10 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | W 12 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | NW 6 | W 5 | W 8 | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 9 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | — | — | — | E 2 | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | W 3 | W 4 | — | — | — | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | — | — | NE 3 |
| kJ | 105 | 270 | 264 | 177 | — | — | — | 1 | 11 | 28 | 2 | 12 | — | — | — | 53 | 112 | 118 | — | — | 3 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 593 | 777 | 34 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 34 | 10 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 16 | 65 | 777 | 207 | 207 | 87 | 87 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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