The Cove Surf Break

Lat Long: 58.62° N 3.65° W

The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 12 am 06 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's The Cove sea temperature is
13.4° C
0.1° 

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 6 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Monday 10 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 10s period, NNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 9 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 10s period, W swell with 972 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 7 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 5s 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 (Aug 07) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 5s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at The Cove in the next 16 days are 2.3m 10s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 6s period and expected on Friday (Aug 07) at 7AM.

Wave TypeTime (BST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 1AM (Fri 7th Aug)2.5ft (0.8m) 5s
Best Surf 4AM (Mon 10th Aug)4ft (1.2m) 10s
Most Powerful 7AM (Sun 9th Aug)7.5ft (2.3m) 10s

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


The Lowdown

Alright, check it out. Rusty here, breaking down the forecast for The Cove over the next sixteen days.

The first few days are a bust. Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th are mostly blown out or just too small to bother with. The wind is ripping, and the swell is short-period and messy. The energy is weak (195) Thursday morning, and it doesn’t get much better. Just skip it.

We get a bit of life from Saturday the 8th through Monday the 10th. A solid west swell pushes through, with wave heights around 6ft to 7ft. The energy jumps up (732 to 839), so there’s some real juice. The wind is cross-offshore for most of it, keeping the surface reasonably clean. The best call in that window is Monday morning the 10th – we’ve got a glassy 3ft swell from the north with a 10-second period, and the wind is light offshore (SSE at 6 mph). The water temp is about normal for this time of year. The Cove is a reef break, fairly consistent, and exposed to the NW swell direction, so Monday morning should deliver some clean, lined-up waves. Crowds are possible, so don’t expect to have it all to yourself.

Then the surf drops off a cliff. From Tuesday the 11th through to Friday the 14th morning, it’s tiny, weak, and mostly poor. A few glassy moments on the 13th, but with only 1ft on offer, it’s a flat spell.

Now, the big one – and this is a long-range call, so keep it in the back of your mind – is Wednesday the 19th. A serious west swell hits, blowing up to 13ft with a 9-second period. The combined energy is a monster 3004, so that’s a lot of water moving. The wind is offshore (S at 18 mph), so it’ll be clean. But at 13ft, this is expert-only territory. The period is short, so it’s windswell, but the offshore wind will hold it up. The reef at The Cove can take it, but it’s going to be heavy. Thursday the 20th still has a solid 6ft, but the wind goes cross-offshore and the energy drops (704). That’s still a good day for strong intermediates.

The best sessions overall? Monday morning the 10th for clean, fun, manageable waves (3ft, NNW, 10s, light offshore) and Wednesday the 19th for the big-wave crew (13ft, W, 9s, fresh offshore). The 19th is the real standout for size and power, but it’s a week and a half away, so don’t book your flight yet.

There’s a long dry stretch of tiny, poor surf from the 11th to the 14th morning, so expect some downtime.

Rusty, out.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Sat morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Thu afternoon, min 11°C on Wed night). Mainly fresh winds.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue afternoon, min 12°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WSW on Sat night, calm by Sun night).

Thursday
6
Friday
7
Saturday
8
Sunday
9
Monday
10
Tuesday
11
Wednesday
12
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
1
0
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.5
NNW
7
0.8
N
7
0.8
W
5
1.3
W
6
2.2
W
8
2
W
9
2.1
W
9
2.1
W
9
2.1
W
9
2.1
W
10
1.8
W
9
1.5
NNW
10
0.9
N
10
1.2
NNW
9
1.1
N
8
0.9
N
8
0.7
N
8
0.6
N
7
0.4
NNE
7
0.3
W
11
0.3
WSW
10
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
187
56
29
135
687
649
707
702
700
813
565
402
154
243
165
107
61
40
18
20
20
Wind (km/h)
25
NW
20
WNW
15
S
25
SSW
35
SW
25
SSW
30
SSW
30
WSW
35
WSW
30
WSW
20
W
10
W
10
SSE
10
SE
10
SSE
20
SE
25
SE
25
SE
15
SSE
10
N
10
S
Wind State
cross-on
cross
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
on
off
High Tide
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
8:20AM4.63m
8:30PM4.91m
9:12AM4.84m
9:16PM5.15m
Low Tide
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
2:19PM1.67m
2:49AM1.13m
3:05PM1.49m
3:34AM0.89m
part cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
light rain
mod rain
mod rain
light rain
rain showers
cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
light rain
cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
5:13
5:15
5:18
5:20
5:22
5:24
5:26
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
9:24
9:22
9:20
9:17
9:15
9:13
9:09
 mm
2
8
8
1
1
1
Temp °C
12
15
13
14
15
14
14
14
13
14
13
13
12
13
14
16
17
15
22
18
19
Feels °C
6
11
9
9
9
10
9
8
7
9
9
11
10
12
13
12
13
11
23
17
18
  • Map Icons:
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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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