Surf Forecasts:
The Cove surf forecast from 9 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 9 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 9s period, W swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 11 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 10s period, W swell with 384 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 9 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 9s 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 Thursday (Jul 09) at 1PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Cove in the next 16 days are 1.4m 10s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 11) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 2s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1PM (Thu 9th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 1PM (Thu 9th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Sat 11th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove over the next 16 days.
Alright, Rusty here, and I’ve had a good look at our charts for the next couple of weeks. Let’s get straight into it.
The opening window is a real mixed bag, but we’ve got one solid morning that’s worth marking on the calendar. The swell kicks in on Thursday, July 9th, with a decent 4ft W swell rolling in, period around 9 seconds, and the combined energy sitting at a moderate 231. The real treat that morning is the wind – a light 6 mph from the SSE, which is blowing offshore here at The Cove. That’s going to keep the surface glassy and clean. The water temp is 54°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there. That Thursday morning is the standout of the whole period, no question. It’s a reef break, so you’ll get a proper wave face, but it’s only intermediate-friendly, so maybe leave the kids at home.
That afternoon, things go sour quickly with onshore wind, and the surf quality drops right off. From Friday, July 10th, through to the end of the second week, the forecast is a long, frustrating stretch of poor conditions. The winds are mostly cross or cross-onshore, the swell sizes drop away to barely a ripple, and the combined energy figures are in the weak two-digit range, sometimes as low as 14. There’s a few days in the middle of the second week with a bit of a longer period swell (11-13 seconds), but the height is pathetic – 0.7ft to 1ft – and it’s not going to break properly. Honestly, after that Thursday morning, you’re looking at a gap of close to two weeks with nothing worth paddling out for. The wind and swell just don’t line up again.
If you’re a kitesurfer, some of those afternoons with moderate cross-onshore winds and a bit of chop might look interesting, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a write-off. The swells are too small, the wind is always messy, and the break is too inconsistent to save it. Forecasts can change, but right now, the only real chance to get wet is that first Thursday morning.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Thu morning, min 11°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Tue afternoon, min 12°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | WNW 9 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | W 7 | WNW 10 | WNW 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 192 | 264 | 184 | 97 | 319 | 346 | 267 | 203 | 129 | 64 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 40 | 173 | 303 | 275 | 154 | 83 | 57 | 38 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:32PM4.19m | 4:44AM4.32m | 5:39PM4.30m | 5:57AM4.37m | 6:43PM4.48m | 7:09AM4.50m | 7:42PM4.70m | 8:15AM4.66m | 8:36PM4.92m | 9:14AM4.82m | 9:27PM5.10m | 10:07AM4.91m | 10:14PM5.21m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:13AM1.93m | 10:45PM2.31m | 11:26AM1.91m | 00:02AM2.14m | 12:33PM1.81m | 1:08AM1.85m | 1:33PM1.67m | 2:06AM1.53m | 2:27PM1.53m | 2:58AM1.22m | 3:16PM1.44m | 3:47AM0.99m | 4:03PM1.40m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | | | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 4:18 | — | — | 4:20 | — | — | 4:22 | — | — | 4:24 | — | — | 4:24 | — | — | 4:26 | — | — | 4:28 | — | — |
 | — | — | 10:17 | — | — | 10:16 | — | — | 10:15 | — | — | 10:14 | — | — | 10:13 | — | — | 10:12 | — | — | 10:09 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 18 | 19 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 19 |
Feels °C | 22 | 17 | 20 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | WNW 9 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | W 7 | WNW 10 | WNW 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 |
| kJ | 192 | 264 | 184 | 97 | 319 | 346 | 267 | 203 | 129 | 64 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 40 | 173 | 303 | 275 | 154 | 83 | 57 | 38 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 10 | NNE 10 | NNE 9 | W 12 | NNE 9 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NE 8 | NE 7 | NE 7 | N 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | W 20 | W 19 | — | W 18 | W 18 | — | — |
| kJ | 39 | 38 | 17 | 72 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | — | 6 | 6 | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | N 12 | NNE 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 21 | W 12 | W 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 3 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 3 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 2 | SE 2 | ESE 2 | ESE 3 | ESE 2 | — | ESE 2 | ESE 2 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 13 | 21 | 287 | 63 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 183 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 16 | 34 | 59 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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