The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s cut through the noise. It’s gonna be a tough couple of weeks, with a lot of onshore junk and not much to get excited about. But there is one small window that’s going to be worth it.

For the next several days, through the 29th of August, The Cove (Big Island) is just flat and messy. We’re talking ankle-to-thigh high surf at 1 to 3 feet, with a weak period of 8 seconds or less. A steady cross-off or cross-onshore breeze is making it bumpy. The combined swell energy is weak, reading between 18 and 209. Just leave the board in the car.

Sunday the 30th sees a bump in size, with 7 feet of swell from the NNW, but it’s a cross-shore wind and it’s chopped up. That’s a no-go. Monday the 31st, the wind goes fresh cross-shore and the surf drops. Not looking great.

There’s a glimmer on Tuesday, September 1st. A light cross-off breeze cleans it up, and there’s about 3 feet of North swell with an 8-second period. The combined energy reads a moderate 141. It’s surfable, but just average. The morning is the pick. But it doesn’t last. The wind comes back on Wednesday and Thursday, with a strong cross-off breeze up to 31 mph, and the swell builds to around 6 feet. It’s clean but howling. Not worth the fight.

Friday the 4th is more of the same, and by the afternoon it goes lumpy.

We’re looking at a gap of about a week before anything promising. Then, on Saturday the 5th of September, the swell jumps again to around 8 feet from the West. It’s got power, with the energy reading 1146, but there’s a moderate cross-shore wind putting a ruffle on it. It’s only just breaking, and not clean.

Now, here’s your one true standout: Sunday afternoon, September 6th. The wind drops out to a light cross-off, and the surf cleans right up to a fun 3 feet from the West. The period is 8 seconds, the energy is a moderate 220, and the call is “good surf.” That’s your day. It’s small, but it’ll be clean and lined up. That’s the one to save for.

After that, it all goes to hell. Monday the 7th has a fresh offshore but it’s wind-affected. Tuesday the 8th of September is a full-blown storm. We’re talking 13 feet of swell with a severe gale at 47 mph. That’s not surf; that’s survival, and only for experts with a death wish. The rest of that week stays too big and too windy.

So, keep your powder dry until that Sunday afternoon the 6th. That’s your cleanest chance. With swell over 8 feet on the 8th, the rest is just chaos for the kites.

Stay patient.

Rusty.

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