
Surf Forecasts:
The Cove surf forecast from 13 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 13 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 10s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 18 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 14s period, W swell with 11,520 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 13 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 10s period with WNW 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 Sunday (Sep 13) at 7PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Cove in the next 16 days are 5.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 18) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 17) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7PM (Sun 13th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 7PM (Sun 13th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 18ft (5.5m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what’s coming up for The Cove over the next couple of weeks.
First up, the water is sitting at 57°F, which is about a degree and a half warmer than usual for this time of year – nothing crazy, but a little bonus warmth.
We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag to start. The real standout is this Sunday morning, the 13th. The Cove is looking at a solid 7ft of WNW swell with an 11-second period. That’s a decent groundswell, and combined energy is strong at (1050). Wind is light and cross-off from the WSW at 9 mph, so conditions are going to be clean. This is definitely the pick of the early window – excellent surf for experienced surfers. Keep in mind, though, The Cove is a reef setup, and at this size it’s not one for beginners.
Sunday afternoon drops off a bit with a smaller 6ft swell and a cross-on breeze, so it gets a bit messy. Monday the 14th sees the swell drop right back to under 3ft, but we get some clean, offshore wind from the south. Small, but rideable if you’re keen on a longboard.
Tuesday the 15th through Thursday the 17th is a write-off. Strong winds, onshore, messy. Not worth paddling out. The energy is there but the wind is just trashing it. We then get a big change on Friday the 18th. The swell jumps right up to 18ft from the west with a very long 14-second period. The combined energy is massive at (11524). Wind is cross-off from the southwest at 19 mph, so the faces will be clean, but this is a serious size – only for experts, and even then, this reef is going to be handling a lot of water. It’s a marginal call because it’s so big.
Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th are still huge but the wind gets nasty – near gale force, making it unsurfable. That big energy is still there, but it’s a kite-surfing show more than anything for paddle surfers. Monday the 21st through Thursday the 24th stay big (10ft to 15ft) but with poor, cross-shore winds. It’s just messy.
Now, looking into the second week, there’s some real promise. Friday the 25th of September looks like another beauty. Swell drops back to a manageable 10ft from the WNW with an 11-second period. By the afternoon, it goes glassy – zero wind from the NE – and the swell is 7ft. That’s a recipe for a perfect, clean session. The energy is still strong at (1071). Saturday the 26th keeps the clean vibes with a 7ft to 8ft west swell and light offshore winds in the morning.
Then Sunday the 27th sees another massive pulse – 16ft from the WNW with a 14-second period, energy at (16345). The wind is cross-on though, and the forecast actually says it might be too big for the break. So that one’s a watch-and-see for the big dogs.
Overall, your best bets are this Sunday morning the 13th, and then next Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th. The first one is solid and clean, the second week looks more promising with glassy conditions. The rest of the time, either the wind is bad or the swell is too big. Stay tuned, forecasts can change.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 26mm), heaviest during Mon night. Very mild (max 17°C on Mon morning, min 10°C on Tue night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu morning, min 9°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Wed afternoon, near gales from the W by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | NNW 12 | W 9 | W 10 | W 11 | W 10 | NW 6 | NW 8 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | W 9 | W 14 | W 14 | W 13 | WNW 12 | W 10 | W 10 | W 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1008 | 650 | 289 | 254 | 224 | 242 | 224 | 500 | 190 | 499 | 416 | 211 | 381 | 614 | 9255 | 11501 | 5782 | 2089 | 2140 | 3814 | 8844 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | off | off | off | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross |
High Tide | 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 | 1:43PM4.00m | 2:27AM3.75m | 2:54PM3.82m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 7:27AM2.38m | 8:04PM2.43m | 8:25AM2.67m | 9:34PM2.60m | ||||||||
6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | |
— | 7:40 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:23 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | 2 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 2 | — | — | 4 | — | 1 | — | 2 | 6 | — | 2 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
Feels °C | 9 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | -2 | 1 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | NNW 12 | W 9 | W 10 | W 11 | N 10 | W 10 | W 12 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | — |
1008 | 650 | 289 | 254 | 224 | 242 | 224 | 68 | 121 | 172 | 343 | 210 | 64 | 41 | 33 | 23 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | — | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 15 | NNW 13 | NNW 12 | WNW 9 | NNW 12 | NNW 11 | N 10 | SE 6 | — | — | W 10 | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
42 | 127 | 276 | 132 | 186 | 158 | 96 | 1 | — | — | 416 | 211 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NNW 10 | — | — | — | SE 6 | — | — | — | NW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | 74 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 196 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSE 3 | S 3 | SSE 3 | S 3 | WNW 4 | W 10 | NW 6 | NW 8 | — | SSE 3 | W 8 | W 9 | W 14 | W 14 | W 13 | WNW 12 | W 10 | W 10 | W 12 |
— | — | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 500 | 190 | 499 | — | 5 | 381 | 614 | 9255 | 11501 | 5782 | 2089 | 2140 | 3814 | 8844 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 621 | 678 | 700 | 207 | 368 | 0 | 422 | 523 | 668 | 139 | 1144 | 453 | 700 | 803 | 421 |
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.










