The Cove Surf Break

The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Lat Long: 58.62° N 3.65° W

Issued: 6 pm 06 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's The Cove sea temperature is
12.1° C

Normal for this time of year

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 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 7 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 9s period, W swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Friday 10 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 11s period, W swell with 457 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 7 Jul, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 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 Tuesday (Jul 07) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 8s. 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 11s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 10) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (BST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 7AM (Tue 7th Jul)3.5ft (1.0m) 9s
Best Surf 7AM (Tue 7th Jul)3.5ft (1.0m) 9s
Most Powerful 4PM (Fri 10th Jul)4.5ft (1.4m) 11s

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


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu for The Cove over the next couple of weeks.

First up, the water temp is sitting at 53.8°, which is right about normal for this time of year, so no surprises there. The real story is that we’ve got a rough start. Monday afternoon is a write-off with 19 mph cross-shore wind making a mess of things, so don’t even bother.

The first real chance comes Tuesday the 7th. Tuesday morning shapes up as the standout of the whole period. We’ve got a clean 3.3 ft swell from the west, and the wind goes glassy from the east at only 3 mph. That’s about as perfect as it gets for a reef break like The Cove. The combined wave energy is moderate at 232, which means there’s enough push to make it fun without being a handful. Intermediate surfers will be in their element. This glassy spell holds through Tuesday afternoon too, same size and direction. This is the session to aim for.

Wednesday the 8th is a mixed bag. Morning gets messy with a cross-shore wind and smaller 2.6 ft surf, but the afternoon turns it right around. That west swell bumps back up to 4.3 ft with light, glassy conditions again. It’s a good shout for an afternoon session if you can’t get out on Tuesday.

Thursday the 9th morning stays clean with 3.6 ft west swell and a light cross-offshore breeze. The energy is moderate (224). But the afternoon turns onshore with a 4.6 ft west swell and a north-northeast wind straight on it, so that’s a no-go.

After that, things go downhill fast. Friday the 10th through to the end of the first week is mostly poor. Friday afternoon pushes 4.6 ft west swell but with a strong 12 mph cross-onshore wind and a choppy mess. Saturday the 11th is marginal at best.

There’s a long dry spell after the first few days. From Sunday the 12th right through to Monday the 20th, it’s nearly all poor conditions. The swell drops off to under 3.3 ft, periods shorten, and the wind is either cross-shore or cross-onshore. A few days in the second week, like Tuesday the 14th, show a bit of a longer-period west-northwest swell (3.6 ft at 12 seconds) but the cross-shore wind at 12-16 mph ruins the surface for paddle surfing. The energy is moderate (368), but the chop kills it.

Towards the very end, Monday the 21st and Tuesday the 22nd bring in a bit of north swell (3.3 to 3.6 ft) but with a fresh 19 to 22 mph cross-offshore wind. The wind direction keeps the surface clean in a technical sense, but the size and wind strength make it more of a kite surfing setup than a good paddle session.

So to wrap it up, Tuesday the 7th is your clear winner. Glassy, clean, and a nice 3.3 ft west swell. Go get it.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon. Warm (max 20°C on Thu morning, min 10°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Mon afternoon, calm by Tue afternoon).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu afternoon, min 11°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light.

Mon
6
Tuesday
7
Wednesday
8
Thursday
9
Friday
10
Saturday
11
Sunday
12
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
Rating
(10 max)
0
1
2
2
1
0
2
2
2
1
2
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.3
W
8
1.2
W
8
1
W
9
1
W
9
1.3
W
9
0.8
W
9
1.3
W
9
1.3
W
9
1.1
W
9
1.4
W
9
1.1
W
9
0.9
W
9
1.4
W
11
1.4
W
10
1.3
W
10
1.1
W
9
0.9
WNW
9
0.8
WNW
8
0.8
WNW
8
0.9
WNW
8
0.8
WNW
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
239
195
152
162
287
109
288
287
192
313
184
125
457
384
319
212
129
87
79
85
67
Wind (km/h)
30
W
10
N
5
E
5
ESE
15
W
15
W
5
W
5
SSE
10
SW
10
NNE
5
WNW
20
WNW
20
NW
10
W
15
WNW
15
NW
10
W
20
WNW
20
WNW
15
W
15
WNW
Wind State
cross
on
glassy
glassy
cross
cross
glassy
glassy
cross-off
on
glassy
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross-on
cross
cross
cross-on
cross
cross-on
High Tide
1:39AM4.51m
2:30PM4.17m
2:32AM4.42m
3:28PM4.15m
3:34AM4.35m
4:32PM4.19m
4:44AM4.32m
5:39PM4.30m
5:57AM4.37m
6:43PM4.48m
7:09AM4.50m
7:42PM4.70m
8:15AM4.66m
Low Tide
7:31PM2.16m
8:10AM1.79m
8:23PM2.27m
9:06AM1.88m
9:27PM2.34m
10:13AM1.93m
10:45PM2.31m
11:26AM1.91m
00:02AM2.14m
12:33PM1.81m
1:08AM1.85m
1:33PM1.67m
2:06AM1.53m
mod rain
mod rain
cloud
light rain
part cloud
cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
light rain
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
4:16
4:18
4:18
4:20
4:22
4:24
4:24
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
10:21
10:20
10:19
10:17
10:16
10:15
10:14
10:13
 mm
6
9
1
2
Temp °C
13
12
12
14
14
17
19
16
20
18
15
13
13
12
13
13
12
13
15
15
16
Feels °C
8
10
11
14
14
17
20
16
20
18
16
9
9
10
10
10
9
9
12
13
13
Swell 1
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.5
N
8
1.2
W
8
1
W
9
1
W
9
0.6
N
7
0.8
W
9
0.4
NNE
6
1.3
W
9
1.1
W
9
1.4
W
9
1.1
W
9
0.6
W
12
1.4
W
11
1.4
W
10
1.3
W
10
1.1
W
9
0.9
WNW
9
0.8
WNW
8
0.8
WNW
8
0.9
WNW
8
0.8
WNW
8
Energy kJ
32
195
152
162
34
109
14
287
192
313
184
106
457
384
319
212
129
87
79
85
67
Swell 2
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.8
N
10
0.8
N
8
0.7
N
7
0.3
NNE
8
0.5
N
7
0.3
N
6
0.3
NNE
6
0.4
NNE
10
0.4
NNE
10
0.4
NE
9
0.3
NNE
9
0.2
NNE
8
0.2
NNE
8
0.1
N
8
0.1
N
8
0.1
N
7
0.1
N
7
0.1
N
7
0.1
W
21
Energy kJ
117
80
54
13
24
7
8
32
30
23
16
7
7
1
1
1
1
1
9
Swell 3
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.1
N
12
Energy kJ
3
Wind waves
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.3
W
8
1.3
W
9
0.8
W
5
1.3
W
9
0.9
W
9
Energy kJ
239
287
34
288
125
Nearest Offshore or Glassy
Rating
(10 max)
1
2
2
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
Distance (km)
51
21
0
0
7
7
0
0
0
16
0
28
35
7
7
34
7
608
63
7
21
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom
Rating
(10 max)
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
Header Global
Rating
(10 max)
7
5
5
9
8
9
7
7
6
6
6
5
5
4
5
5
4
9
7
5
7
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for The Cove:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

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.

Nearest locationNearest