The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming down the pipe.

Overall, the pattern for the next couple of weeks is a bit frustrating. We’ve got a few windows of clean, rideable swell, but they are separated by some long, flat, or wind-blown gaps. The water temp is sitting right on the seasonal average at 54°F, so nothing weird or special there for your first session.

We kick off on Monday, July 6th with a tiny 3ft west swell at The Cove. The morning is dead glassy, which is a rare gift. This is a reef break that’s fairly consistent, but with the swell period at only 8 seconds, you're not getting any real grunt behind it. The combined energy is weak (143). It’s a marginal, fragile window. The afternoon gets nuked by a 22 mph cross-wind, so forget it after lunch.

Tuesday, July 7th is the best shot in the first week. Morning and afternoon both look clean with glassy conditions and a light 3 mph wind. The swell picks up a touch to 4ft in the morning, and the period lengthens to 9 seconds, giving it a bit better shape. Combined energy is moderate (260). The afternoon holds at 3ft and remains glassy. This is your standout for the start of the run. It’s only an intermediate-level wave at 4ft, so it’s good for most of us. Just keep an eye out for the crowd, as this spot can get surfed sometimes.

Wednesday the 8th turns sloppy. The morning has clean 3ft waves but it’s underwhelming, and the afternoon jumps to 5ft with a short 6-second period and a messy cross-wind. That’s poor.

Thursday the 9th shows a decent morning window: 4ft, 9-second west swell with a light cross-offshore wind. Combined energy is moderate (262) and it’s clean. The afternoon shifts to a onshore wind though, making it marginal.

From Friday, July 10th through Monday, July 13th, the surf quality drops completely. We get consistently poor conditions with cross-onshore winds and weak swell dropping from 4ft to just 2ft. That’s a dead 4-day stretch right there. Don’t bother paddling out.

Things look up again on Tuesday, July 14th. The morning brings a 3ft west-northwest swell with a very long 12-second period, and a clean cross-offshore wind from the southeast. The combined energy is moderate (300). This long period means the groundswell has serious travel, and on a reef setup like The Cove, that can lead to some nice, lined-up waves. The afternoon stays clean at 4ft with 11-second swell, though the conditions are called marginal, so catch it early.

After that, from Wednesday the 15th onward, it all fades again. Swell drops to under 2ft and stays minimal through the 19th. However, on Monday, July 20th, the swell ramps up hard. The afternoon shows a 8ft west swell, but with a 10-second period and a brutal 25 mph cross-wind. Combined energy jumps to 1216, which is strong, but the wind will make it a messy, lumpy mess at the reef. That’s expert-only territory if you’re brave, and honestly, it looks more interesting for kite-surfing than clean paddle surfing.

Tuesday, July 21st has the same issue: 8ft of west swell at 11 seconds, strong energy (1694), but a 16-18 mph cross-onshore wind blows it out. The setup is too raw.

So, to sum it up: Tuesday, July 7th is your cleanest, most reliable day, and Tuesday morning, July 14th is the promising long-period pick if you can wait a week.

Rusty.

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