Surf Forecasts:
The Cove surf forecast from 5 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 7 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 8s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 7 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 7s period, W swell with 572 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 5 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 9s period with WNW 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 Sunday (Jul 05) at 4PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 9s period. 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 2.3m 7s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 07) 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+) | 4PM (Sun 5th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 1PM (Tue 7th Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Tue 7th Jul) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s break it down.
The Cove is starting slow, but there’s some real gold later if you wait it out. Water temp is 54°F, right about average for this time of year—nothing unusual.
This Saturday (4th July) afternoon? Forget it. West swell at 6ft with a 30 km/h crosswind—lumpy, choppy, horrible. Sunday (5th July) afternoon is your first chance. Wind swings NE at 5 km/h, glassy, with a 4ft WNW swell (9 sec). Clean but small, combined energy at 189. You’ll get a few rides, but don’t expect miracles.
Monday (6th July) morning has light SSW offshore at 10 km/h, swell dropping to 3ft from the west. Clean, but tiny—energy 131. Barely worth paddling out.
Tuesday (7th July) afternoon is glassy again—SW wind at 5 km/h—with a clean 4ft west swell, 9 sec period. Energy hits 336, moderate. That’s your first proper session: clean, fun, intermediate-friendly.
Wednesday (8th) and Thursday (9th) are poor—crosswinds, onshore slop. Skip ’em.
There’s a stretch of nothing until Sunday (12th July) morning. That’s a standout: ESE wind at 5 km/h, glassy, with a 5ft west swell, 8 sec period. Energy is 361. Short period, but clean and punchy on the reef.
The absolute best, though, is Monday 13th July morning. Clear skies, NW wind at 5 km/h, glassy perfection. Swell hits 8ft from the west at 9 seconds, energy 814. That’s strong, powerful reef waves, clean, and waiting for you. It’s big but not insane—intermediates can handle it.
Monday afternoon gets bigger (8ft), but wind goes cross-onshore NE at 10 km/h—messier. Still lots of energy (1153), but quality drops.
Tuesday (14th) and Wednesday (15th) mornings have clean cross-offshore SE winds, with 6-6ft west swells, 10 sec periods. Energy in the 600s. Good, but not the best.
Thursday (16th) morning—calm, glassy, 5ft west swell. Expect good surf.
Friday (17th) is clean and small—4ft west swell, light cross-offshore winds. Fun for a longboard.
After that, it fades. Saturday (18th) and Sunday (19th) are crosswindy and small. The last session worth mentioning is Sunday morning with a tiny 2ft clean wave, but energy is only 84.
So the standout is Monday 13th July morning—glassy, 8ft west swell, and The Cove’s reef will be cooking. Crowds can be an issue sometimes, so get in early. The west swell direction is perfect for this break. That’s your session.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Mon morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun morning, min 11°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun night, fresh winds from the W by Mon night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed afternoon, min 13°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sat 4 | Sunday 5 | Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | W 9 | W 7 | W 7 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 9 | W 10 | W 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 655 | 383 | 243 | 189 | 120 | 93 | 345 | 553 | 382 | 252 | 318 | 268 | 129 | 234 | 152 | 152 | 145 | 115 | 71 | 194 | 234 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross | glassy | glassy | off | cross-off | cross | cross | glassy | cross | cross | cross | off | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross | off | cross-on |
High Tide | 00:15AM4.66m | 12:55PM4.28m | 00:54AM4.60m | 1:39PM4.22m | 1:39AM4.51m | 2:30PM4.17m | 2:32AM4.42m | 3:28PM4.15m | 3:34AM4.35m | 4:32PM4.19m | 4:44AM4.32m | 5:39PM4.30m | 5:57AM4.37m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:08PM1.95m | 6:41AM1.62m | 6:47PM2.05m | 7:22AM1.70m | 7:31PM2.16m | 8:10AM1.79m | 8:23PM2.27m | 9:06AM1.88m | 9:27PM2.34m | 10:13AM1.93m | 10:45PM2.31m | 11:26AM1.91m | 00:02AM2.14m | 12:33PM1.81m | |||||||
 |  | | |  |  | | |  | | |  |  |  | | | | | |  | | |
 | — | — | 4:13 | — | — | 4:15 | — | — | 4:16 | — | — | 4:18 | — | — | 4:18 | — | — | 4:20 | — | — | 4:22 |
 | — | 10:22 | — | — | 10:22 | — | — | 10:21 | — | — | 10:20 | — | — | 10:19 | — | — | 10:17 | — | — | 10:16 | 10:15 |
mm | — | — | — | — | 2 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 4 | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 13 |
Feels °C | 7 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | W 9 | N 8 | N 10 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 7 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 9 | W 10 | W 10 |
| kJ | — | 383 | 243 | 189 | 120 | 93 | 32 | 151 | 122 | 84 | 57 | 39 | 129 | 234 | 152 | 152 | 145 | 115 | 71 | 194 | 234 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | N 7 | N 9 | — | — | — | — | — | N 7 | NNE 7 | N 6 | NNE 10 | NNE 9 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 17 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | 25 | 15 | 7 | 33 | 47 | 24 | 13 | 12 | 6 | 6 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 12 | N 6 | — | — | — | W 12 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | 23 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | — | — | — | — | — | W 7 | W 7 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 4 | — |
| kJ | 655 | — | — | — | — | — | 345 | 553 | 382 | 252 | 318 | 268 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 832 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 369 | 369 | 21 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 63 | 0 | 17 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 16 | 0 | 63 |
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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