The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

To be straight with you, this 16-day window is a bit of a mixed bag. There’s some real size coming, but the wind is going to be a problem for most of it. The only spot worth talking about, and the one true standout, is The Cove. It’s a reef break, exposed to the swell, and it needs a clean window. The first couple of days are a write-off due to strong winds, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

The real action kicks off on the morning of Friday, 24 July. We’re looking at a solid 10 ft swell from the W, with a period of 9 seconds. The combined energy is a strong 1188, so there's plenty of push. However, it’s blowing a strong 25 mph cross-offshore from the WSW. It’s clean, but that wind is howling. The water temp is 55°, which is about average for this time of year, so a normal 4/3 wetsuit is the call.

Saturday, 25 July, is a no-go. The swell jumps to 13 ft from the WNW, which is too big for most, and the wind is a strong 28 mph cross-on. It’s messy and dangerous. The swell drops a little on Sunday, 26 July, but it’s still cross-on with a moderate breeze, making for lumpy, poor surf.

Now, things start to turn around on Monday, 27 July. The morning has a clean 6 ft swell from the NNW with a light cross-off breeze from the WSW. The energy is still moderate at 958. It’s marginal, but it’s your first real chance for a paddle.

The standout window arrives on Tuesday, 28 July. This is it. The morning brings a clean 4 ft swell from the N with a gentle 9 mph cross-off breeze from the SW. It’s clean and the combined energy is 366. The afternoon is almost identical with a 4 ft swell from the W. This is the best on offer: clean, manageable waves, and a gentle breeze. The Cove should be working beautifully. Mention it now, because after this, it gets iffy.

From Wednesday, 29 July, the swell drops off dramatically. We’re talking 3 ft or less for days, with poor conditions and onshore winds. There’s a long gap of small, ordinary surf until the morning of Sunday, 2 August. We get a glassy 2 ft swell from the NNW, but it’s tiny and the energy is weak at 52. There are a few clean, cross-off mornings from 4 August (2 ft) and 5 August (6 ft, but the energy is still moderate at 361), but the swell is inconsistent and the quality isn’t there.

The second week is grim. The swell tries to build again around 6 August, with a 12 ft monster from the NW on the Thursday afternoon, but it’s hammered by a strong cross-on wind and it’s accompanied by rain. Definitely not one for the log. The trend continues with strong onshores and messy surf right through to the end of the forecast on 8 August. The swell stays lumpy, wind-blown, and unappealing.

Overall, you’re looking at one solid, clean day on Tuesday, 28 July. Get out there in the morning. The rest is either too windy, too small, or too messy to get excited about. It’s a long run of poor quality. The Cove can handle a bit of push, but it needs that offshore wind.

Rusty.

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