The Cove Surf Break

Lat Long: 58.62° N 3.65° W

The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 12 am 04 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's The Cove sea temperature is
13.3° C
0.0° 

The Cove surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


The Cove surf forecast from 4 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 6 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 7s period, N swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 9 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period, W swell with 1,431 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 6 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 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 Thursday (Aug 06) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 10s. 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 3.0m 9s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 4PM.

Wave TypeTime (BST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)10PM (Thu 6th Aug)3ft (0.9m) 7s
Best Surf10PM (Thu 6th Aug)3ft (0.9m) 7s
Most Powerful 1AM (Sun 9th Aug)10ft (3.0m) 9s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

Well, I gotta be straight with you—this run ain’t exactly firing on all cylinders. The Cove is a reef set-up, and for the first week and a half, it’s mostly a write-off. We’ve got a lot of poor surf conditions and funky winds, so you’ll be doing more watching than paddling. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing wild there.

The first real chance to wet a line comes on Friday, August 7th. We’ve got a tiny little pulse of 1ft from the WNW with a 9-second period, but the real win is the SSW offshore wind. It’s clean, real clean. The combined energy is weak (72), so it’s more of a longboard or a foamy session. The Cove is exposed to the NW, so this WNW direction is a bit off the optimum, but with offshore wind, it’ll still offer up some fun little corners. Crowds are possible here, so keep an eye out.

Over the weekend of the 9th and 10th, the swell bumps up a bit, but the wind is just messy. Saturday the 8th has a 7ft to 8ft W swell with a 9-second period, but those strong breeze cross-off winds will make it look better than it rides. The energy is moderate to strong (736-795), but it’s not clean enough to get excited about. Sunday the 9th pushes into 8ft from the W with a 10-second period, and the energy is strong (1344), but again, cross-shore winds and lumpy conditions. This is not a paddle-friendly window; it’s more kite-surfing territory if you’re into that.

The real standout, the one you’ve been waiting for, is Monday, August 17th. This is the one. We’ve got a solid 12ft swell rolling in from the W, with a 10-second period and light breeze conditions. The combined energy is a powerhouse (2486), and the morning session has clean offshore winds from the SW. This is expert-level stuff—over 8ft is only for the experienced. The swell direction is W, which is a touch off the optimum NW, but for a reef break like The Cove, that long-period groundswell will wrap in nicely. The afternoon stays clean with light cross-shore winds. This is the best on offer, no question.

After that, there’s a bit of a drop-off. The 18th and 19th see the swell back down and the wind getting messy again, with a near gale on the 19th. Not much to write home about.

So, to sum it up: the first week is mostly a dud, with a tiny window on Friday the 7th for a clean, small wave. The big prize is Monday the 17th—big, powerful, and clean. Get on it if you’ve got the skills.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 40mm), heaviest during Wed morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Tue night, min 12°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the ESE on Tue morning, light winds from the E by Tue night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Sat morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri morning, min 12°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SW on Thu night, strong winds from the WSW by Sat afternoon).

Tuesday
4
Wednesday
5
Thursday
6
Friday
7
Saturday
8
Sunday
9
Monday
10
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.9
N
8
0.7
N
8
1.1
E
5
1.5
NE
6
2.1
NNE
7
2.1
N
7
1.6
N
7
1
N
7
0.6
N
7
0.4
WNW
9
1.3
W
9
1.9
W
10
2.1
W
9
2.3
W
9
3
W
9
2.5
W
10
2
WNW
10
2.1
NNW
10
1.9
NNW
10
1.6
N
10
1.7
N
10
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
107
63
57
131
419
461
247
92
33
29
251
660
718
785
1431
1290
732
884
678
484
573
Wind (km/h)
35
ESE
40
ESE
20
E
20
NE
35
NNE
35
NW
30
NW
20
WNW
20
SW
20
SSW
25
SW
30
SW
40
WSW
45
WSW
35
WSW
30
W
25
WNW
25
NW
25
NW
20
WNW
15
W
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
High Tide
12:59PM4.42m
1:04AM4.67m
1:46PM4.29m
1:55AM4.48m
2:44PM4.17m
3:01AM4.28m
3:55PM4.11m
4:23AM4.15m
5:15PM4.16m
5:55AM4.19m
6:32PM4.36m
7:16AM4.39m
7:36PM4.63m
Low Tide
6:50AM1.50m
6:59PM1.93m
7:34AM1.68m
7:47PM2.10m
8:27AM1.89m
8:50PM2.27m
9:36AM2.09m
10:15PM2.33m
11:01AM2.17m
11:47PM2.18m
12:22PM2.08m
1:01AM1.85m
1:26PM1.88m
1:59AM1.47m
mod rain
light rain
light rain
mod rain
heavy rain
rain showers
clear
part cloud
light rain
cloud
light rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
5:09
5:11
5:13
5:15
5:18
5:20
5:22
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
9:30
9:28
9:24
9:22
9:20
9:17
9:15
 mm
6
3
3
10
11
3
1
2
5
5
3
1
Temp °C
12
13
14
13
12
12
13
13
12
15
15
14
14
14
12
14
13
11
11
11
11
Feels °C
5
7
12
10
6
6
7
8
10
10
9
9
7
6
5
8
8
7
5
6
7
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for The Cove:

join our community of surf reporters

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 locationNearest