The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down the outlook for The Cove. It’s a reef setup that’s fairly consistent, and it’s exposed to the swell, so it can pick up a decent wave. The water temp is sitting at 57°, which is only about 0.5° above the norm for this time of year, so pretty average, nothing to write home about.

We’ve got a slow start, no good surf on the immediate horizon. The first swing of the bat comes on Monday, the 24th of August. That morning, the swell jumps to 7 ft out of the WNW, with a period of 11 seconds, giving us a solid 933 (moderate energy) to work with. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the SE, so the lineup is going to be clean. That’s the standout session of the whole run. The Cove will be firing with proper shape. The swell direction is dead-on for the optimum NW, so the reef will be working its magic. The afternoon stays clean but the swell drops slightly to 6 ft. It’s still a good session, but the morning is the pick.

After that, things go quiet. From Tuesday the 25th right through to the end of August, the swell drops away and the wind either turns onshore or gets too strong. The 30th of August sees a bump in swell to 6 ft from the north, but the wind is straight onshore, making it a messy, closed-out affair. Not worth paddling out for.

The next glimmer of hope is Monday the 31st of August. The morning sees a 4 ft swell from the north with a light cross-off breeze from the SSE. The wave comment says it’s good surf, so that’s a solid option if you’re keen. The energy is a modest 205, so it’s not a powerhouse, but it’ll be clean and rideable.

The first week of September is a mixed bag of small, weak swells and dodgy winds. There’s a small window on the 4th of September with a 5 ft, 11-second swell from the WNW, but the wind is getting up to 19 mph by the afternoon, so it’s a marginal call. The rest of the period is small, windy, or onshore, with nothing to recommend.

Overall, the best bet is hands down Monday the 24th of August, morning session. Get in the water early. The surf is clean, the swell is solid, and the reef will be handling it beautifully. After that, the 31st is your next best look, but it’s a lot smaller. The rest of the 16 days is a bit of a write-off. Keep an eye on the charts, though; it tends not to stay this flat forever.

Rusty.

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