The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s on offer at The Cove.

The forecast window starts with a slow spell, to be honest. The 16th of August through to the 18th are pretty much a write-off – we’re looking at weak, messy little waves with shifty winds and a combined energy reading that’s barely hitting 186. You’d be wrestling a cross-off or a cross-shore for scraps of 2ft to 4ft of swell, and the periods are short, around the 7 to 9 second mark. Not worth paddling out for unless you’re desperate for a wet suit rinse.

Things start to lift a bit on the Wednesday morning, 19th of August. We get a pulse of west swell, 5ft with a 10 second period, and the wind turns light out of the ESE, keeping it clean. The combined energy jumps to 488, which is moderate but finally feels like real waves. Still, nothing huge – just a solid, surfable day for intermediates.

There’s a rough patch from Thursday to Sunday, 22nd of August, where the swell drops off again and winds get onshore or cross-onshore. The energy dips back to feeble levels, and the waves are small and choppy.

Now, there’s a proper standout worth holding out for. On the Tuesday morning, 25th of August, conditions line up nicely. We get 5ft of west-northwest swell with a 10 second period, and it’s dead glassy – a slight air from the SSW, which is offshore for this reef. The combined energy reads a solid 523, and the water temp anomaly is near average for the time of year, so nothing shocking there. The Cove is an exposed reef that's fairly consistent, but you might find a few others out because it gets crowded sometimes. This morning window is the pick of the first half.

The rest of that week into the end of August offers some clean-ish mornings, but the swell size stays modest, around 3ft to 4ft, and the energy is low. The real fire comes in from the 29th of August through the final morning of the 31st. On the 29th Saturday morning, we’re looking at 8ft west-northwest groundswell with an 11 second period, producing a massive 2672 combined energy – that’s strong. Winds are light cross-off from the SE, keeping it clean. It’s going to be a powerful, chunky wave that’s only for experienced surfers. By Sunday the 30th, the swell holds at 8ft, and energy stays high at 1255, but east winds start to blow, making things messier.

The absolute standout of the entire outlook happens on Monday morning, 31st August. The Cove gets a big 13ft swell from the west with a very long 12 second period, and it’s absolutely glassy – a slight air from the SSE, which is offshore. The combined energy is a whopping 4720. This is heavy, expert-level surf with the right wind. The long period does mean this reef will handle it well, but it’s a serious, powerful groundswell. Only the best crew should be out.

So, your two best windows: the glassy Tuesday morning on the 25th of August for a clean, intermediate day, and that massive Monday the 31st of August for the experts. The dive in between has some clean mornings, but the size and energy are limited. It’s a slow start, but it finishes with real punch.

Rusty.

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