The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for our local reef, The Cove.

First up, we’ve got a bit of a rough patch to get through. The next few days are looking pretty average with strong winds and messy conditions. The water temperature is about what you’d expect for this time of year, nothing unusual.

We’ve got a moderate amount of swell energy running through the period, but it’s not translating into great surf for a while. The main issue is the wind. Saturday the 8th and Sunday the 9th have solid swell, 7ft to 8ft from the west, but that strong cross-off and cross wind is just ruining it. The wave energy is moderate to strong (687 to 1228), but it’s just not clean. Monday the 10th isn’t much better, with a fresh cross-onshore wind making things lumpy. The swell is still there, 8ft from the NW, but it’s a mess.

We hit a real lull from Tuesday the 11th through Wednesday the 13th. The swell drops right off, tiny waves under 3ft, and the energy is weak (56 to 186). Wednesday the 12th afternoon does offer a glassy window with a 2ft west swell, but it’s barely surfable. Thursday the 13th morning has a bit of a glassy moment with a 2ft, 12-second groundswell from the north, but it’s still very small.

Friday the 14th sees a bit more size, 4ft from the west, but the wind is messy again. The real hope starts to build on Sunday the 16th. The morning looks promising with a clean, moderate offshore breeze from the SSE and 4ft of north swell. The period is 8 seconds, so it’s a bit short, but the conditions are clean and the energy is moderate (215). It’s a solid option for a morning session.

The standout, though, is the weekend of the 21st and 22nd of August. Friday the 21st afternoon brings a clean, cross-off wind with 8ft of west swell. The period is short at 7 seconds, but the wave energy is moderate (766) and the conditions are clean. For a reef break, that’s a serious session. Saturday the 22nd, however, is a beast. The afternoon sees 12ft of NW swell, with a very strong wave energy of 1565. That’s a big, powerful swell, but the wind is a strong cross-shore, making it messy and dangerous. Only for the experts, and even then, it’s a battle. The morning of the 23rd of August has a 6ft, 9-second north swell, still with moderate energy (828) and a cross-shore wind, making it a marginal call.

Overall, if you can wait, the best clean surf on offer is the Sunday 16th morning session for a fun, manageable size, and the Friday 21st afternoon for a bigger, powerful wave if the wind holds. The conditions are a bit of a lottery, but there are a couple of windows to get wet.

Rusty.

Read more