Surf Forecasts:
The Cove surf forecast from 3 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 5 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 9s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 20ft (6.0m), 12s period, WNW swell with 10,374 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 5 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 9s period with WNW 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 Saturday (Sep 05) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Cove in the next 16 days are 6.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 6s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sat 5th Sep) | 6ft (1.9m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Sat 5th Sep) | 6ft (1.9m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Tue 8th Sep) | 20ft (6.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what the next couple weeks are serving up at The Cove.
Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: this is a tough stretch. The first week is a write-off for any decent surf. We’ve got a massive swell event hitting on Friday the 4th with an 18ft west swell and a near gale cross-shore wind that’s gonna turn it into a complete washing machine. The combined energy is a massive 7722 (very strong). That’s not a surf day, that’s a storm day. The whole run from now through to the end of the first week is plagued by strong, cross, or onshore winds, making for lumpy, messy, or just plain dangerous conditions.
The water temp is sitting at 57°, which is about normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.
We finally get a couple of sessions that are worth paddling out for. The highlight, and I mean the only real standout in the whole 16-day forecast, is Sunday morning, September 6th. The Cove is a reef break, exposed to a NW optimum, and we’re getting a 3ft swell from WNW. It’s small, yeah, but check this: we’ve got a light offshore wind from the south at 12 mph, and the water’s going to be clean. The combined energy is only 201 (weak), so it’s not going to be powerful, but for a Sunday morning sesh with clean lines, that’s your window. Expect it to be fairly consistent, but you might find a few others out there as crowds are sometimes an issue.
There’s another small chance on Sunday morning, September 13th, with a 5ft WNW swell and a light cross-offshore breeze from the SW at 6 mph. The combined energy is 588 (moderate), and it’s rated as very good surf conditions. That’s a second-week option, but it’s almost two weeks away, so keep an eye on it—it’s promising but less certain.
For the rest of the second week, there are a few windows with clean conditions, like Wednesday afternoon the 16th with a 4ft WNW swell, but the energy is low and the tides might mess with it. Nothing else really stands out.
Honestly, if you’re committed, mark your calendar for Sunday, September 6th. That’s your best bet. Otherwise, it’s a pretty blank run for a spot that’s usually fairly consistent.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Sat night. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu afternoon, min 12°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (near gales from the W on Fri afternoon, light winds from the SW by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Sun morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun afternoon, min 11°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (moderate winds from the S on Sun morning, strong winds from the W by Tue afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | |||||||||||||||
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 6 | W 7 | W 7 | WSW 11 | W 11 | W 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | W 8 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | WSW 10 | W 10 | WNW 11 | NW 11 | NW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 246 | 193 | 126 | 1143 | 7711 | 2494 | 1817 | 1177 | 374 | 103 | 108 | 113 | 374 | 966 | 1022 | 2550 | 8011 | 7103 | 2140 | 446 | 167 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:11PM4.38m | 1:32AM4.40m | 2:10PM4.17m | 2:47AM4.12m | 3:31PM4.04m | 4:29AM4.01m | 5:06PM4.09m | 6:11AM4.14m | 6:28PM4.33m | 7:23AM4.42m | 7:29PM4.65m | 8:16AM4.69m | 8:17PM4.95m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:23PM1.99m | 7:57AM2.02m | 8:29PM2.21m | 9:12AM2.31m | 10:04PM2.29m | 10:53AM2.41m | 11:44PM2.10m | 12:19PM2.25m | 00:56AM1.73m | 1:20PM1.99m | 1:50AM1.36m | 2:08PM1.71m | 2:35AM1.05m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  | | |  |  | | | | | | | |  | | |  | |
 | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — |
 | — | 8:09 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:05 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:52 | — |
mm | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | 7 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 11 |
Feels °C | 9 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 9 | N 9 | W 7 | N 8 | N 8 | — | — | — | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | W 8 | W 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | WNW 11 | NW 11 | — | — | — | WNW 9 | WNW 8 |
| kJ | 246 | 127 | 126 | 31 | 11 | — | — | — | 374 | 103 | 108 | 113 | 7 | 7 | 622 | 831 | — | — | — | 446 | 167 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 5 | W 18 | N 8 | N 8 | — | — | — | — | NNE 8 | W 9 | N 9 | NNE 9 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | SE 7 | — | — | — | — | NNW 8 | NNW 8 |
| kJ | 3 | 6 | 66 | 31 | — | — | — | — | 13 | 55 | 39 | 26 | 7 | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 330 | 66 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 9 | NW 8 | SE 4 | W 16 | N 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 7 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 43 | 20 | 7 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | W 7 | SSW 4 | WSW 11 | W 11 | W 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | — | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | SW 4 | W 8 | W 8 | WSW 10 | W 10 | WNW 11 | NW 11 | NW 10 | — | — |
| kJ | 236 | 193 | 13 | 1143 | 7711 | 2494 | 1817 | 1177 | — | 13 | 11 | 17 | 374 | 966 | 1022 | 2550 | 8011 | 7103 | 2140 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 424 | 34 | 8 | 369 | 621 | 759 | 421 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 171 | 531 | 608 | 700 | 1104 | 621 | 447 | 345 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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