Surf Forecasts:
The Cove surf forecast from 26 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 30 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 7s period, N swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 30 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s period, NNW swell with 310 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 30 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 7s period with N 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 (Aug 30) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 8s. 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 1.7m 8s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sun 30th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Sun 30th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s talk about The Cove. It’s been a pretty quiet stretch, and this reef break, which is usually fairly consistent and exposed to the northwest swell, has been having a slow one. The water’s about 57°, which is average for this time of year.
We’re looking at a big gap of nothing useful from Wednesday the 26th right through the next week. The waves are tiny, the wind is all over the place, and the energy is weak, barely hitting 100 for most of that period. You get a little glassy moment on Sunday the 30th with a 3-foot wave from the north, but it’s still pretty ordinary. The energy does pick up to moderate on Monday the 31st, but the wind is cross and messy.
The first few days of September are a bust too. Tuesday the 1st has a clean offshore wind, but the swell is still small. Then the wind gets howling, with a near gale from the 2nd, but the waves are still junky, even though the energy climbs to 355 (moderate). Friday the 4th shows a big spike in size with a 10-foot swell from the west, and energy hitting 925 (strong), but the wind is messy and it’s only marginal. Saturday the 5th is a beast with an 18-foot west swell, energy over 9500, but it’s a cross-shore, lumpy mess. That’s for absolute experts only, and even then, it’s dangerous.
The one true standout is Sunday the 6th of September, the morning session. We’ve got a solid 12-foot swell from the west-northwest, with a 10-second period, and a light offshore breeze from the southwest. The energy is pumping at 3289, which is strong, and it’s described as excellent for experienced surfers. That’s a big, clean, powerful groundswell hitting a reef – it’s going to be a proper session for the crew who know what they’re doing. The afternoon is a bit more questionable with a cross-off breeze and a longer period (13 seconds), which might make it a bit too lined up, but on a reef, it could still be fun.
After that, it drops off. The second week is small and onshore, so it’s all about getting on that Sunday. The rest of the 16 days is pretty much a blank.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu morning, min 13°C on Fri afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 14°C on Mon afternoon, min 10°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Mon afternoon, fresh winds from the N by Tue morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Wed 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | ||||||||||||||
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) | W 8 | WNW 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | ENE 4 | NNE 5 | N 5 | WNW 6 | N 7 | NNW 7 | NNW 8 | NNW 7 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 6 | N 7 | N 7 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 12 | 22 | 67 | 57 | 35 | 13 | 24 | 16 | 30 | 92 | 105 | 310 | 220 | 160 | 111 | 93 | 74 | 171 | 279 | 167 |
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 | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 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 | 11:13AM4.82m | 11:19PM5.06m | 11:47AM4.72m | 11:55PM4.92m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:59AM1.48m | 3:08PM1.68m | 3:31AM1.30m | 3:40PM1.52m | 4:03AM1.17m | 4:11PM1.43m | 4:35AM1.10m | 4:44PM1.40m | 5:08AM1.12m | 5:17PM1.45m | 5:43AM1.23m | 5:54PM1.57m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  |  | |  | | | | |  | | | |  | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — |
 | 8:32 | — | — | 8:30 | — | — | 8:27 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:15 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 |
Feels °C | 13 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 4 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | WNW 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | ESE 7 | E 8 | E 9 | NNE 5 | E 7 | NNW 7 | NNW 8 | NNW 7 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | W 9 | W 8 | W 9 |
| kJ | 12 | 22 | 67 | 57 | 35 | 9 | 66 | 99 | 30 | 9 | 105 | 310 | 220 | 160 | 111 | 93 | 74 | 40 | 23 | 25 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | W 7 | N 8 | N 7 | N 6 | W 8 | W 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | — | E 6 | W 9 | W 8 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | W 10 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 5 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 28 | — | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 14 | 6 | 48 | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 8 | N 8 | — | — | — | N 8 | N 6 | N 8 | E 8 | — | N 6 | — | N 12 | W 8 | W 11 | W 11 | W 6 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 1 | 29 | — | 3 | — | 3 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 1 | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 4 | ESE 3 | SE 3 | ESE 4 | ESE 6 | ENE 4 | NNE 5 | N 5 | — | N 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 6 | N 7 | N 7 |
| kJ | 12 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 22 | 13 | 24 | 16 | — | 92 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 171 | 279 | 167 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 176 | 158 | 9 | 17 | 354 | 167 | 35 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 651 | 207 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our The Cove surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest