Surf Forecasts:
The Cove surf forecast from 29 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 29 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 8s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 3 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 11s period, NNW swell with 1,452 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 29 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 8s 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 (Jul 29) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 8s. 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 2.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 03) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Wed 29th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Wed 29th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Mon 3rd Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's break down the next couple of weeks for The Cove.
Right off the bat, it's a slow burner. There's nothing worth paddling out for in the first few days. Wednesday the 29th starts with a clean-looking 7ft W swell, but the wind is a stiff 30 km/h cross-offshore that messes up the shape. The combined swell energy is moderate at 746, but the conditions just don't line up. Thursday and Friday are pretty rough too, with onshore winds and choppy, lumpy water. The whole first weekend is the same story – decent swell sizes but the wind is all wrong.
But there's a real gem on the horizon. On Tuesday morning, the 4th of August, things finally come together. A 4ft N swell with glassy conditions – dead calm, not a breath of wind. The combined energy is a moderate 297, and with a 9-second period it’s got some push. This is the morning to get an early one. The Cove is a reef break that loves that NW swell direction, and it's fairly consistent, so you can expect clean, workable waves. It does get crowded sometimes, but a Tuesday with conditions like that usually keeps the numbers down. The water is sitting at 56°, which is normal for this time of year.
And then there's the big one. Circle Sunday morning, the 9th of August. This is the standout. A solid 8ft W groundswell with a 10-second period, and it's glassy – absolute perfection. The combined energy is a massive 1217, which is very strong. This is serious swell. Anything over 8ft at a reef is for experienced surfers only; if you're not comfortable with that kind of power, give it a miss. This is a true expert session, clean and powerful. The morning window is everything, as the breeze swings cross-onshore in the afternoon.
After that, the second week goes quiet again. Monday the 10th has a clean 3ft W swell, but it's small. The rest of the week is mostly poor surf with strong winds and tiny swell, so that Sunday the 9th is the clear best bet of the whole run.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Thu morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Wed morning, min 11°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu morning, fresh winds from the W by Fri morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sat morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat morning, min 10°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NW on Sat night, calm by Mon night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | |||||||||||||||
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 9 | WNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | NW 7 | W 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | N 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | N 11 | N 11 | N 10 | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 670 | 264 | 98 | 99 | 75 | 243 | 276 | 151 | 144 | 155 | 117 | 144 | 486 | 624 | 1293 | 1029 | 768 | 484 | 280 | 234 | 125 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 9:42PM4.80m | 10:12AM4.53m | 10:14PM4.89m | 10:43AM4.59m | 10:44PM4.94m | 11:14AM4.61m | 11:15PM4.95m | 11:46AM4.59m | 11:48PM4.91m | 12:20PM4.52m | 00:23AM4.81m | 12:59PM4.42m | 1:04AM4.67m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:30PM1.78m | 3:58AM1.44m | 4:04PM1.69m | 4:30AM1.35m | 4:37PM1.63m | 5:03AM1.31m | 5:10PM1.63m | 5:36AM1.32m | 5:43PM1.68m | 6:12AM1.38m | 6:19PM1.78m | 6:50AM1.50m | 6:59PM1.93m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | 4:56 | — | — | 4:58 | — | — | 5:00 | — | — | 5:01 | — | — | 5:03 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:44 | — | — | 9:42 | — | — | 9:38 | — | — | 9:37 | — | — | 9:35 | — | — | 9:31 | — | — | 9:30 |
mm | — | 1 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 11 |
Feels °C | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 9 | WNW 8 | NNW 8 | NNW 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | N 8 | NNW 8 | N 8 | — | — | N 11 | N 11 | N 10 | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 |
| kJ | 76 | 264 | 98 | 99 | 57 | 42 | 27 | 24 | 24 | 84 | 115 | 144 | — | — | 1293 | 1029 | 768 | 484 | 280 | 234 | 125 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | N 9 | W 8 | W 8 | — | — | — | — | N 11 | N 9 | N 9 | W 9 | — | — | W 10 | — | WNW 6 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 |
| kJ | — | 55 | 78 | 40 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | — | — | 8 | — | 12 | 6 | 14 | 11 | 5 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NW 11 | N 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 11 | W 10 | — | — | — | — | — | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 6 | W 9 | W 9 |
| kJ | — | 18 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 6 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | — | — | — | NW 7 | W 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | NW 8 | NW 8 | W 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 670 | — | — | — | 75 | 243 | 276 | 151 | 144 | 155 | 117 | 45 | 486 | 624 | 68 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 141 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 412 | 424 | 1181 | 21 | 810 | 964 | 83 | 287 | 183 | 46 | 46 | 138 | 10 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
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.
Nearest