Surf Forecasts:
The Cove surf forecast from 24 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 30 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 8s period, N swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 29 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 8s period, N swell with 949 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 10s 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 Thursday (Aug 27) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 10s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Cove in the next 16 days are 2.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 8s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the table for The Cove over the next couple of weeks.
First up, don't get your hopes up for the next few days. We’re looking at a bit of a slow start with poor conditions from Monday the 24th right through until Friday the 28th of August. The swell is small and the wind is messy, so it’s more of a waiting game than anything else.
Now, Saturday the 29th sees a spike in size with an 8ft north swell rolling in, but that comes with a strong 25 mph westerly wind. That’s a pass from me – looks like a kite-surfing day rather than a paddle-surfing one. Sunday the 30th is where it gets interesting. That same 8ft north swell (8 seconds period) is still pumping, but the real story is the wind. Sunday morning we’ve got glassy conditions – light southerly at just 3 mph. The waves will be clean, but that short period north swell can wall up and close out a bit on a reef setup, so pick your peaks. The energy is strong, sitting at 873, which is decent but not massive.
The real standout, and I mean the one to circle on your calendar, is Monday the 7th of September. This is the big one. We’ve got a solid 10ft west swell with a very long period of 15 seconds. That’s proper groundswell. The wind is a gentle offshore from the south-southeast at 9 mph, keeping it clean and lined up. The energy reading is a massive 3,734 to 4,131, which is very strong. This is one for the experienced crew – over 8ft is expert territory. The Cove is a reef, so that long-period west swell will wrap in beautifully and offer some proper shaped waves. It won't be for the faint-hearted, but for those who know what they’re doing, this is the best session on offer.
Before that, Thursday the 3rd of September and Sunday the 6th of September are worth a mention. On the 3rd, we have a 5ft to 6ft west-northwest swell with light winds – clean and fun for intermediates. Then on Sunday the 6th, we get a sneaky long-period 20-second west-northwest groundswell at 2ft in the morning, building to 5ft in the afternoon. That’s a very long period, so it will be a bit more fickle, but if you can find the right line, it’ll be worth the paddle out.
Overall, the best bet is the 7th of September by a long shot. The week prior has a few fun days, but that Monday is the gold. Stay patient.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon morning, min 12°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun night, fresh winds from the SE by Tue morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 26mm), heaviest during Fri night. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu afternoon, min 13°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu night, strong winds from the WSW by Sat morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | W 10 | W 11 | W 10 | W 8 | W 9 | NW 8 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 925 | 763 | 551 | 317 | 149 | 49 | 24 | 14 | 35 | 90 | 59 | 35 | 22 | 112 | 111 | 709 | 949 | 836 | 870 | 790 | 503 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | glassy |
High Tide | 7:22AM3.94m | 7:29PM4.24m | 8:08AM4.17m | 8:10PM4.48m | 8:43AM4.38m | 8:45PM4.70m | 9:14AM4.57m | 9:16PM4.89m | 9:44AM4.72m | 9:46PM5.03m | 10:13AM4.81m | 10:16PM5.11m | 10:42AM4.84m | 10:47PM5.13m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:18PM2.35m | 1:49AM1.97m | 1:59PM2.11m | 2:26AM1.71m | 2:35PM1.88m | 2:59AM1.48m | 3:08PM1.68m | 3:31AM1.30m | 3:40PM1.52m | 4:03AM1.17m | 4:11PM1.43m | 4:35AM1.10m | 4:44PM1.40m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | |  | | |  |  |  |  |  | | | | |  | |
 | 5:52 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — |
 | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:36 | — | — | 8:32 | — | — | 8:30 | — | — | 8:27 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:22 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | 6 | — | 2 | 14 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 13 |
Feels °C | 15 | 14 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | W 10 | W 11 | W 10 | W 8 | W 9 | NW 8 | W 11 | ESE 8 | W 9 | ESE 8 | E 8 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | E 10 | E 9 | E 8 | W 13 | W 12 | E 6 |
| kJ | 925 | 763 | 551 | 317 | 149 | 49 | 24 | 14 | 35 | 90 | 59 | 47 | 33 | 112 | 111 | 153 | 57 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | N 7 | N 6 | N 6 | — | WNW 8 | W 8 | WNW 7 | W 10 | E 8 | W 8 | WNW 8 | E 9 | E 9 | — | — | — | — | — | W 11 |
| kJ | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 12 | 12 | 5 | 90 | 46 | 35 | 19 | 56 | 61 | — | — | — | — | — | 9 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 9 | W 7 | N 8 | N 7 | N 8 | N 7 | N 7 | ESE 11 | — | — | — | — | — | W 8 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 7 | E 3 | SE 3 | SE 3 | SE 4 | ESE 3 | ESE 4 | E 3 | E 4 | — | ESE 4 | — | WNW 6 | — | NNE 5 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 |
| kJ | 8 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 18 | — | 10 | — | 22 | — | 95 | 709 | 949 | 836 | 870 | 790 | 503 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 9 | 9 | 9 | 34 | 17 | 26 | 158 | 170 | 278 | 0 | 9 | 63 | 17 | 32 | 186 | 186 | 148 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
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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