Surf Forecasts:
The Cove surf forecast from 3 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 8 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 9s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 9 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 10s period, NW swell with 1,816 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 7 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 6s 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 Friday (Aug 07) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 10s. 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 3.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Fri 7th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Sat 8th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Sun 9th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, letting you know what's on the cards for The Cove.
It’s been a pretty grim stretch, but if you’re patient, there’s a little window of decent surf that’ll make it all worthwhile. The coming week is a write-off with strong onshore winds and messy, lumpy conditions. There’s a real gap from now all the way through to the second week of August, so don’t even bother paddling out until then.
The main event looks to be on the morning of Tuesday, the 11th of August. We’ve got a solid 8ft swell rolling in from the NNW, and with a gentle offshore breeze, the surface should be clean. The combined energy is moderate (671), so there’s some push behind it. The Cove is a reef break that’s exposed to this swell direction, and while it’s a fairly consistent spot, you can expect crowds there sometimes. The swell is just under 8ft, so it’s borderline for beginners, but for you intermediate guys, it’s a real standout. The period is 8 seconds, so it’s a standard wind swell, not a long-period groundswell, but the conditions are shaping up nicely.
The afternoon of the same day still looks good, with a 6ft swell from the same direction and clean offshore winds, though the energy is a bit lower (395). The Tuesday morning is the clear pick of the entire 16-day window.
Before that, there’s a slight tease on the 10th of August with a 7ft NNW swell and light onshore winds, but the forecast is a bit uncertain. It’s a marginal call, nothing to get excited about.
After the 11th, it drops off hard again. The rest of the outlook is a mix of small, weak swells and cross-shore winds, so don’t hold your breath.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Tue night. Very mild (max 16°C on Mon morning, min 12°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun night, strong winds from the ESE by Tue morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Fri night. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri afternoon, min 11°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the W on Thu night, strong winds from the W by Sat afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | |||||||||||||||
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 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | E 5 | NE 6 | NNE 6 | N 6 | N 6 | N 6 | N 6 | WNW 10 | W 9 | W 8 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | NW 10 | NNW 11 | NNW 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 269 | 215 | 136 | 86 | 63 | 120 | 154 | 186 | 161 | 109 | 74 | 44 | 30 | 61 | 411 | 395 | 476 | 734 | 1816 | 1568 | 1258 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 12:20PM4.52m | 00:23AM4.81m | 12:59PM4.42m | 1:04AM4.67m | 1:46PM4.29m | 1:55AM4.48m | 2:44PM4.17m | 3:01AM4.28m | 3:55PM4.11m | 4:23AM4.15m | 5:15PM4.16m | 5:55AM4.19m | 6:32PM4.36m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:12AM1.38m | 6:19PM1.78m | 6:50AM1.50m | 6:59PM1.93m | 7:34AM1.68m | 7:47PM2.10m | 8:27AM1.89m | 8:50PM2.27m | 9:36AM2.09m | 10:15PM2.33m | 11:01AM2.17m | 11:47PM2.18m | 12:22PM2.08m | 1:01AM1.85m | |||||||
 |  |  |  | | | | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | |  | |
 | 5:07 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:11 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:18 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:31 | — | — | 9:30 | — | — | 9:28 | — | — | 9:24 | — | — | 9:22 | — | — | 9:20 | — | — | 9:17 |
mm | — | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 8 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 |
Feels °C | 13 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | W 10 | W 10 | E 6 | W 10 | W 10 | N 6 | NNE 7 | W 9 | W 8 | W 9 | NNW 9 | NNW 8 | — | NNW 11 | — |
| kJ | 269 | 215 | 136 | 86 | 63 | 42 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 18 | 44 | 15 | 61 | 411 | 395 | 16 | 7 | — | 1284 | — |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | NW 7 | W 9 | — | — | W 11 | E 6 | E 5 | W 10 | WNW 10 | W 6 | NNE 10 | SE 5 | ESE 7 | N 8 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 18 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 9 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 30 | 22 | 18 | 4 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 11 | — | — | — | SE 6 | E 5 | N 12 | WNW 4 | NNE 7 | N 11 | NNW 10 | N 9 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 7 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 9 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ESE 2 | SE 4 | ESE 4 | ESE 5 | E 5 | NE 6 | NNE 6 | N 6 | N 6 | N 6 | — | S 2 | — | S 3 | SW 4 | W 8 | W 8 | NW 10 | NNW 10 | NNW 10 |
| kJ | — | 1 | 11 | 38 | 105 | 120 | 154 | 186 | 161 | 109 | 74 | — | 1 | — | 8 | 16 | 476 | 734 | 1816 | 1568 | 1258 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 16 | 9 | 34 | 417 | 170 | 104 | 110 | 186 | 1181 | 259 | 298 | 0 | 21 | 8 | 7 | 678 | 832 | 593 | 183 | 183 | 87 |
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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