Surf Forecasts:
The Cove surf forecast from 10 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 10 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 10s period, W swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 11 Jul, 1AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 10s period, W swell with 400 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 10 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 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 Friday (Jul 10) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 10s 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 1.4m 10s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 11) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Monday (Jul 13) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Fri 10th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Fri 10th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Sat 11th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove over the next 16 days.
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk about The Cove for the next couple of weeks. It’s a tough start, with a lot of flat, windy, or just plain ugly days. But there’s light at the end of the tunnel if you’re patient.
The water is 55°F, which is right where it should be for this time of year, so no oddities there.
The one day you really want to mark on your calendar is Monday, July 20th. The morning is the clear standout. Skies are clear, a light southeast breeze is blowing offshore, and the waves are clean. Swell is 6ft from the west with a 9-second period, and the energy is pumping (537). It’s a proper groundswell, so expect nice shaped waves with a bit of time between sets. This is an intermediate reef break, so leave the beginners at home. Crowds can show up here, so get in early.
The afternoon of July 20th is still worth a look. Swell drops to 5ft from the west-northwest, still clean with light cross-offshore winds, and the energy is moderate (322). A good second session.
Another decent window comes on Friday, July 24th. The morning has a light south offshore wind, 4ft swell from the west at 10 seconds (225 energy), and clean conditions. The afternoon holds with a similar 4ft swell from the west and light winds (293 energy). Both sessions look good.
The rest of the forecast is a write-off. From July 10th through July 19th, there’s nothing worthwhile. Small surf, messy wind, poor conditions. There’s a brief moment on Sunday morning, July 12th, with glassy conditions and 2ft swell, but it’s too small to get excited about.
From July 21st onward, the swell gets bigger – up to 7ft and 8ft – but the wind turns ugly, howling from the west and northwest, making for lumpy, choppy conditions. The energy is high (up to 854), but it’s a mess for paddling. That’s kite-surfing weather, not surf weather.
So here’s the plan: skip the first week and a half. Save your energy for Monday, July 20th morning – that’s your best session. Friday, July 24th is a solid backup. Everything else? Not worth the wetsuit.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat afternoon, min 10°C on Fri afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Wed morning, min 13°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | |||||||||||||||
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) | W 9 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | WNW 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 97 | 319 | 400 | 267 | 203 | 129 | 64 | 43 | 28 | 35 | 33 | 68 | 278 | 238 | 158 | 85 | 57 | 40 | 12 | 12 | 10 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross |
High Tide | 5:39PM4.30m | 5:57AM4.37m | 6:43PM4.48m | 7:09AM4.50m | 7:42PM4.70m | 8:15AM4.66m | 8:36PM4.92m | 9:14AM4.82m | 9:27PM5.10m | 10:07AM4.91m | 10:14PM5.21m | 10:57AM4.92m | 10:59PM5.25m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:26AM1.91m | 00:02AM2.14m | 12:33PM1.81m | 1:08AM1.85m | 1:33PM1.67m | 2:06AM1.53m | 2:27PM1.53m | 2:58AM1.22m | 3:16PM1.44m | 3:47AM0.99m | 4:03PM1.40m | 4:34AM0.87m | 4:47PM1.44m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 4:20 | — | — | 4:22 | — | — | 4:24 | — | — | 4:24 | — | — | 4:26 | — | — | 4:28 | — | — | 4:31 | — | — |
 | — | — | 10:16 | — | — | 10:15 | — | — | 10:14 | — | — | 10:13 | — | — | 10:12 | — | — | 10:09 | — | — | 10:08 |
mm | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 22 | 21 | 18 |
Feels °C | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 22 | 20 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | WNW 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 7 |
| kJ | 97 | 319 | 400 | 267 | 203 | 129 | 64 | 43 | 28 | 35 | 33 | 68 | 278 | 238 | 158 | 85 | 57 | 40 | 12 | 12 | 10 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 12 | NNE 9 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | N 8 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NNW 6 | E 7 | E 6 | E 7 | WNW 13 | W 19 | — | W 18 | W 18 | — | — | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | W 9 |
| kJ | 72 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 7 | — | 6 | 6 | — | — | 3 | 3 | 6 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 7 | — | W 21 | W 15 | W 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 10 | — | N 9 |
| kJ | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 9 | 4 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | ENE 2 | — | — | — | SE 2 | — | ESE 2 | SE 3 | ESE 2 | ESE 3 | — | — | — | — | — | SE 3 | ESE 2 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 63 | 34 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 143 | 10 | 170 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 10 | 59 | 207 | 621 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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