The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s cast an eye over the next couple of weeks for The Cove. It’s a mixed bag, to be honest – a real tale of two weeks. We’ve got some solid swell on the horizon, but the wind is going to be the main character in this story, and not always in a good way. The general vibe is that there’s potential, but you’ll have to pick your moments carefully.

The opening days of this run, starting Sunday the 9th, are a bit of a write-off. There’s a bit of size on the Sunday, around 8ft, but it’s coming from the west with a fresh cross-off breeze. It’s not terrible, but it’s what I’d call a marginal call with questionable tide. The energy is moderate at 906. Monday the 10th sees the swell actually jump a little, with an 8ft west-northwest groundswell, but the wind swings against us, making it a lumpy, cross-onshore mess. Not what you want.

We see things drop right out mid-week. Tuesday the 11th has a bit of a pulse from the north but it’s small and the wind is cross-off. It’s clean, but there’s not much push to it—only 4ft. The following days, Wednesday and Thursday, are poor. The swell drops to under 3ft, and although Wednesday morning has a gentle offshore, there’s just no energy behind it. It’s a real waiting game.

The next Saturday the 15th brings a little more life back, with 5ft on the face, but it’s crossed up. Then we go into another flat-ish spell. Sunday the 16th is tiny and pretty much unsurfable. The week ahead from Monday the 17th looks choppy and messy with building winds, and then we get to the big one.

Now, here’s where things get interesting. We’ve got a serious swell on the way for Wednesday the 19th of August. The models are showing a big west-northwest groundswell, with the afternoon pushing 12ft. The energy readings are off the charts, coming in at 2622, which is strong to very strong. I’d usually be frothing for that, but there’s a massive catch. The wind is howling from the west-northwest at 25 mph, so it's crossed up and messy. This is big, powerful, unrideable slop for a paddle board. This setup looks far more interesting for the kite crowd than for us. Thursday the 20th eases up a bit with 8ft, but it’s still ugly with cross-shore winds.

If you’re looking for a true standout, you have to go back to Tuesday morning, August 12th. It’s not big by any stretch of the imagination, but the conditions are right. We’re looking at 2ft of west swell, a period of 11 seconds, and, crucially, a gentle offshore wind. That combo will make The Cove (Region_URL) glassy and clean. It’s a long-period swell, which is great for a reef break like this, and the energy is weak, sitting at 107, but for a clean, small-wave session, it’s your best bet.

Another one to keep an eye on is the morning of Tuesday, the 18th. It’s nothing special on the face, only 2ft, but we get a moderate offshore wind and a decent period. It’s another clean window in an otherwise wind-blown forecast. That will be a fun one to get a few little runners on the inside.

So, to wrap it up: the near-term stuff is small and clean, but the long-range big swell is all wind and no good. That Tuesday morning stands out as the clear winner for a clean, fun surf with the offshore wind. Keep your expectations in check, and be ready to move when the windows open.

Rusty, out.

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