The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, and I’ve got a look at the surf coming up.

Well, to be honest, this outlook is a bit of a tough one for The Cove. It’s a reef break that’s fairly consistent and exposed to the swell, but for the better part of the next two weeks, the wind is going to be a real pain. The pattern is clear: we’re in for a long stretch of messy, choppy conditions before we finally get a window of clean surf.

The first week is pretty much a write-off, to be honest. From Monday the 20th right through to the end of that week, we’re looking at a mix of cross and cross-onshore winds, mostly from the WNW and NW. The swell is there – it’s coming in around 4ft to 10ft, with moderate to strong wave energy (in the 200 to 1300 range), but it’s not going to be any fun. The period is short, mostly 8 seconds or less, which means weak, wind-chopped junk. Thursday morning the 23rd actually shows some clean conditions with a nice cross-offshore breeze, but the swell is a short-period 5ft wave from the W (energy of 213) – it’s surfable, but it’s a marginal call. That Thursday afternoon sees the swell jump to 7ft and the wind cranking up to 25 mph, so it’s too blown out for the paddle.

Friday the 24th is interesting but for the wrong reasons. The swell jumps to 10ft from the W with a period of 9 seconds, and very strong energy (1392 in the morning). The wind is a strong cross-offshore, so the faces will be clean, but at that size, this is strictly for experts. 10ft waves on a reef are no joke.

The weekend of the 25th and 26th is a total loss – the wind is back onshore, making a mess of the 7ft to 10ft swell.

Now, the standout. Keep your eyes on Monday the 27th. That’s the one. The morning shows a clean 5ft west swell with a 9-second period, cross-offshore winds, and light breeze. The wave energy is a solid 520, and the conditions are clean. The afternoon looks even better for the conditions, with the wind going light offshore from the south, and a punchy 6ft swell from the west. The period drops to 6 seconds, but the clean glassy texture will make it a fun session. This is the best on offer by a long shot. The Cove is a reef, and with that longer-period swell in the morning (9 seconds), it’s going to hold shape nicely.

After that, it’s a letdown. Tuesday the 28th through the end of the month sees the cross-onshore wind return, and the swell bounces around 3ft to 8ft, but it’s all lumpy and choppy again.

We get one more small window at the very end. On Saturday the 1st of August, the wind goes light offshore from the SSW. The swell is small, just 3ft from the north, with ordinary energy (153). The conditions are clean, but it’s a small-drop day. The following days show the swell dropping to 2ft with clean but shifting winds, and then eventually fading out completely.

So, to sum it up: a long block of poor surf until that Monday the 27th. That’s the day you want to be in the water. The rest of the period is either too windy, too big, or too small. The crowd factor at The Cove is ‘sometimes’, so that Monday with clean, chest-to-head-high waves could have a few of you out, but it won’t be a zoo.

- Rusty

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