The Cove Surf Break

Lat Long: 58.62° N 3.65° W

The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 12 pm 04 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's The Cove sea temperature is
13.3° C
0.0° 

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 4 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Friday 7 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 9s period, W swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 9 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 9s period, W swell with 861 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 5 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 7s period with NE 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 Wednesday (Aug 05) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 7s period. 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 2.3m 9s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) 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 0.8m 7s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 05) at 4AM.

Wave TypeTime (BST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 4AM (Wed 5th Aug)3.5ft (1.1m) 7s
Best Surf10PM (Fri 7th Aug)6ft (1.9m) 9s
Most Powerful 7AM (Sun 9th Aug)7.5ft (2.3m) 9s

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


The Lowdown

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for The Cove over the next couple of weeks.

Truth be told, the start of the run doesn’t look like much fun. We’ve got Tuesday and Wednesday being written off with messy, cross-shore winds and lumpy conditions, so I wouldn’t bother paddling out just yet. Water temp is sitting at 56°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there. The swell is there but the wind is just ruining it.

Thursday and Friday see a bit of a shift. On Friday morning, we finally get a window – a small 1ft swell from the WNW with a period of 9 seconds (moderate energy, 63). The wind swings to a moderate offshore breeze from the south, and conditions are clean. It’s small and only a 1/5, but it’s the first real chance for a paddle. After that, the wind picks up again, so grab that early session.

The weekend gets a bit more interesting. By Saturday, we’ve got swell building to 6–6ft from the west, period at 9 seconds, and clean conditions with a cross-off breeze. The combined energy jumps into the moderate to strong range (489 to 577). Sunday looks the pick of the whole outlook though – swell around 7ft to 7ft from the west, period stretching to 10 seconds (energy 791–946), and a gentle cross-off breeze in the afternoon. Conditions are clean and that’s a solid, rideable swell. It’s still a marginal call on the tide, but if you time it right, Sunday afternoon will be the best surf of the whole window. That’s a standout.

Monday the 10th and Tuesday the 11th see the swell drop back a bit, with cross and cross-onshore winds messing things up again. Nothing special there. Wednesday the 12th through Thursday the 13th is tiny and not worth a look.

Then we hit the second week. Friday the 14th morning sees a bit of a pulse – 5ft from the NE, period 7 seconds, with a moderate cross-off breeze. It’s clean but short-period and a bit average. After that, the rest of the run through to Wednesday the 19th is mostly small, poor surf with cross-shore winds. There’s one oddity on Monday the 17th – a long-period west swell of 2–2ft with a period of 13–14 seconds (energy 108–290). That’s a proper groundswell, but it’s small, and the wind is onshore or cross, so it’s probably not going to deliver much at The Cove, which is a reef. Could be better at a point or river mouth, but here it’s likely too straight and messy.

So, overall: the standout is Sunday the 9th August afternoon – clean, solid 7ft west swell with light wind. The only other decent shout is Friday morning the 7th for a tiny clean wave. For the rest, we’re looking at long gaps of poor conditions, especially from the 10th through to the 14th, and again from the 15th onwards with only marginal options.

Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 24mm), heaviest during Tue morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Tue night, min 11°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the E on Tue morning, light winds from the NNE by Tue night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 18mm), heaviest on Sun night. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri afternoon, min 12°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WSW on Sat morning, light winds from the S by Sun afternoon).

Tuesday
4
Wednesday
5
Thursday
6
Friday
7
Saturday
8
Sunday
9
Monday
10
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
3
0
0
1
1
2
2
0
0
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.9
N
8
0.7
N
8
1.2
E
5
1.3
NNE
7
1.7
NNE
8
2.3
N
7
1.9
NNW
7
1
N
7
0.6
N
7
0.4
WNW
9
0.7
W
9
2
W
9
1.8
W
9
1.7
W
9
2.1
W
9
2.2
W
9
2.1
W
10
1.3
NNW
11
1.4
NNW
9
1.4
N
10
1.5
N
10
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
107
63
75
193
345
569
345
92
34
29
79
693
561
471
686
786
787
375
321
377
440
Wind (km/h)
35
E
40
E
20
E
15
NE
25
NNE
35
NNW
30
NW
25
WNW
15
SSW
20
S
25
SW
20
S
40
WSW
40
WSW
35
WSW
30
WSW
15
WSW
25
SSW
35
W
25
NW
15
WNW
Wind State
cross
cross
cross
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross
cross-on
cross
High Tide
12:59PM4.42m
1:04AM4.67m
1:46PM4.29m
1:55AM4.48m
2:44PM4.17m
3:01AM4.28m
3:55PM4.11m
4:23AM4.15m
5:15PM4.16m
5:55AM4.19m
6:32PM4.36m
7:16AM4.39m
7:36PM4.63m
Low Tide
6:59PM1.93m
7:34AM1.68m
7:47PM2.10m
8:27AM1.89m
8:50PM2.27m
9:36AM2.09m
10:15PM2.33m
11:01AM2.17m
11:47PM2.18m
12:22PM2.08m
1:01AM1.85m
1:26PM1.88m
1:59AM1.47m
mod rain
mod rain
rain showers
cloud
light rain
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
light rain
cloud
rain showers
mod rain
light rain
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
light rain
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part cloud
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<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
5:09
5:11
5:13
5:15
5:18
5:20
5:22
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
9:30
9:28
9:24
9:22
9:20
9:17
9:15
 mm
7
8
3
2
3
1
2
7
2
1
6
1
Temp °C
12
12
14
14
13
12
12
12
12
14
15
14
15
15
13
14
14
14
14
13
12
Feels °C
5
4
14
13
9
6
5
6
10
9
10
11
8
8
6
8
12
9
9
8
10
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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