
Surf Forecasts:
The Cove surf forecast from 11 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 12 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 10s period, W swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 17 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 12s period, WNW swell with 6,904 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 11 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 10s 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 (Sep 11) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.2m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 10s. 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 5.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 17) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 12) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Fri 11th Sep) | 7ft (2.2m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Sat 12th Sep) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Thu 17th Sep) | 16ft (5.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let's get into it.
Alright mates, Rusty here. Let's have a look at the next couple of weeks. Things start off a bit ordinary, but there’s some serious groundswell potential building for the deep thinkers. The big winner here looks to be The Cove.
The water's sitting around 57°, which is about what you'd expect for this time of year – nothing to write home about, no shocking anomaly.
We're looking at a bit of a slow burn to start. Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th are pretty average, with messy cross-shore winds and some rumbling, disorganised swell. The wave energy on Saturday morning is massive, hitting 3297, but that 10ft swell is all over the place with a strong cross breeze, so it's only for the hardcore, and even then, it's a battle. Sunday the 13th is a little cleaner, but still nothing special. We have to wait until Monday the 14th to get a proper window. That morning, with a 3ft swell from the NNW and a clean offshore breeze, you'll get some tidy, rideable waves (energy 445). The afternoon gets even better with a very clean 3ft set from the north.
Then Tuesday the 15th and Wednesday the 16th are a bit of a mixed bag – some clean moments, some lumpy cross-chop. Not the best.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting, but you have to be patient. Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th are blown out with strong winds and huge, messy swell – up to 15ft Thursday afternoon (energy 5981!). That’s raw power, but it’s not for paddling; the kites will be having a field day.
The Standout: The real gold appears on Saturday the 21st of September. That Monday morning, The Cove goes glassy. We’re talking a little 3 mph wind from the SSW, making it dead calm. You’ll have a solid 8ft groundswell from the WNW with a long 12-second period, packing 1489 energy. That’s a proper, clean, powerful reef wave for experienced surfers. The direction is ideal for the spot, and with those light winds, it’ll be perfect.
Second Standout: If you can’t wait that long, mark your calendar for Saturday the 23rd of September. The Wednesday morning is messy, but the afternoon is a ripper. A 10ft WNW swell (energy 3551) with a 12-second period and a gentle 3 mph cross-off breeze. It’s going to be clean, powerful, and consistent. This one is in the “excellent” zone for experienced surfers. Even better, Tuesday the 22nd morning is also a top pick: an 12ft W swell (4703 energy) with a 13-second period and clean cross-off winds. That’s some serious, long-period groundswell hitting the reef at The Cove.
After that, the last week of the month has some good days, like the 24th and 25th mornings, but the afternoons get blown out again with strong cross-on winds. Pick your windows.
So to sum it up, the first week is about dodging the rubbish. The real, stand-out calls are the glassy morning on the 21st, the clean afternoon on the 23rd, and the powerful morning on the 22nd. The long-period swells mean longer waits between sets, but when they come through The Cove, they’ll be worth it.
I’m Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri afternoon, min 10°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the W on Sat morning, light winds from the NW by Sun afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Mon morning, min 10°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SW on Mon afternoon, strong winds from the W by Wed night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | |||||||||||||||
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 7 | W 9 | W 10 | W 13 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | NNW 13 | NNW 12 | N 12 | W 10 | W 11 | W 10 | WNW 10 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 11 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
466 | 607 | 884 | 3289 | 3851 | 1747 | 920 | 596 | 405 | 313 | 294 | 257 | 496 | 557 | 445 | 815 | 724 | 1822 | 3124 | 5959 | 5856 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross |
High Tide | 9:38PM5.31m | 10:12AM5.01m | 10:14PM5.32m | 10:45AM4.94m | 10:49PM5.21m | 11:16AM4.81m | 11:23PM5.00m | 11:47AM4.64m | 11:58PM4.71m | 12:19PM4.44m | 00:35AM4.38m | 12:56PM4.22m | 1:21AM4.04m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:29PM1.34m | 3:55AM0.82m | 4:05PM1.28m | 4:31AM0.90m | 4:40PM1.32m | 5:06AM1.09m | 5:15PM1.44m | 5:39AM1.36m | 5:50PM1.64m | 6:12AM1.69m | 6:27PM1.89m | 6:47AM2.04m | 7:09PM2.16m | ||||||||
6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | |
— | 7:46 | — | — | 7:44 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:30 | — | |
mm | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 3 | 4 | — | — | 1 | — | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Feels °C | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 6 | N 10 | W 10 | N 9 | SE 7 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | NNW 12 | W 9 | W 10 | N 10 | N 10 | WNW 10 | N 5 | NNW 8 | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 | — |
1 | 2 | 884 | 2 | 8 | 1747 | 920 | 596 | 282 | 313 | 257 | 257 | 108 | 71 | 445 | 21 | 69 | 57 | 23 | 22 | — | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 6 | SE 7 | WNW 14 | N 9 | N 9 | — | NNW 15 | NNW 13 | NNW 13 | WNW 9 | N 12 | N 11 | SE 6 | — | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 | — | — | — | — |
1 | 2 | 534 | 6 | 2 | — | 45 | 178 | 405 | 132 | 294 | 195 | 1 | — | 46 | 26 | 38 | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | N 10 | N 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 10 | N 9 | — | — | — | — |
— | 2 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 35 | 40 | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | W 9 | — | W 13 | WNW 13 | — | — | — | SE 3 | S 3 | S 3 | — | W 11 | W 10 | WNW 6 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 11 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 |
466 | 607 | — | 3289 | 3851 | — | — | — | 2 | 8 | 4 | — | 496 | 557 | 88 | 815 | 724 | 1822 | 3124 | 5959 | 5856 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 421 | 34 | 0 | 421 | 176 | 10 | 17 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 148 | 781 | 1085 | 781 | 7 | 8 | 700 | 759 | 678 | 759 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.










