The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m lookin’ straight at the charts for our stretch of coast. Let’s be real – this 16-day window is a real mixed bag, and it’s gonna take some patience. We’ve got a serious pulse of energy coming through, but the wind is gonna make us work for it.

The real talk is that the first few days are a write-off. Friday the 24th through Sunday the 26th are just not it. The wind is howling out of the WSW and then NW, hitting 25 mph. That’s turning the ocean into a washing machine. There’s a massive 16 ft swell on Saturday the 25th, but with a near-gale cross-onshore wind, it’s just a dangerous, blown-out mess. That’s not for paddling, that’s for kite surfers if anything. The water temp is sitting at 55°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so the wetsuit is staying on.

Now, the one spot that can save the week is The Cove. It’s a reef setup that’s fairly consistent and exposed to the NW. The light starts to show up on Monday the 27th. The morning is still a bit rough with a cross-offshore wind, but it’s the Monday afternoon that has my attention. The wind swings light and offshore out of the S at 6 mph, and we’ve got a 5 ft swell from the west. The energy is moderate at 702, and the period is 10 seconds, which is a solid, workable groundswell. That’s clean, glassy conditions, and that’s the absolute standout of the whole forecast. The water is still 55°, but with that offshore wind, it will feel like a different ocean.

We get a bit of a follow-up on Tuesday the 28th. The swell holds at 5 ft from the west, but the wind is more cross-offshore. Still, it’s clean, and the energy is a bit lower at 455. It’s a good option, but Monday afternoon is the one to circle.

After that, it’s a slow fade. Wednesday the 29th sees the swell dropping to 4 ft and the period dropping to 8 seconds, which is a bit weak and short. From Thursday the 30th right through to the end of the window on August 8th, the swell direction swings to the north and goes tiny. We’re looking at waves under 3 ft, often with a period of 8-9 seconds, and the wind is mostly cross-offshore but from the east or southeast. That’s just small, weak surf. The energy readings drop down to the 50-200 range, with almost nothing to get excited about. There’s a brief spike on August 5th with a 5 ft swell from the NNE, but the wind is a fresh 22 mph cross-on, so it’s lumpy and messy.

So, the bottom line: it’s a long, dry spell for the first few days, and then a long, small spell at the end. The only true window for a good session is Monday afternoon, July 27th at The Cove. That’s the one. Get on it, because the rest of this run is a waiting game. Forecasts can change, but for now, that’s your one shot.

- Rusty

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