The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s break down what’s brewing over the next couple weeks. The opening weekend is basically a write-off, so don’t feel bad about sitting it out. The real payoff comes into focus around the second week of September, so plan around that.

From Saturday, August 29th, through Sunday, August 30th, The Cove (a reef setup) is not doing anything worth paddling for. Swell is tiny—1.0 to 1 feet—coming from the north and northwest, but the period is short and weak, only around 5 to 7 seconds. Combined wave energy is pitiful, reading between 54 and 96. Winds are onshore or sideshore, making for messy, poor surf.

Monday, August 31st is no different—small, weak, and not worth your time. Tuesday, September 1st, has a morning offshore breeze but the swell is only 0.6 feet from the northwest, hardly enough to get you up. The afternoon blows up with a massive 13-foot west swell and a 9-second period, but the wind is a near-gale from the west sideshore. There’s a lot of energy (2744) but it’s just a mess—more for kiting than surfing.

Wednesday, September 2nd, and Thursday, September 3rd, are borderline. On the 2nd, you get a clean 3-foot northwest swell with moderate energy (988) and cross-offshore wind, but it’s not clean enough to be a standout. Thursday has heavy rain and gale-force winds—just skip it.

Now pay attention to Friday, September 4th. The morning at The Cove is where the magic happens. A solid 10-foot west groundswell rolls in with a nice 12-second period and very strong wave energy of 3098. And the wind? Dead calm and glassy from the southwest. That’s pristine for a reef break. This is a big-wave session for experienced surfers only—well over 8 feet. After lunch the wind shifts, so get on it early.

Saturday, September 5th, and Sunday, September 6th, are smaller and less interesting. Not a priority.

Monday, September 7th brings another major pulse. The morning shows a giant 20-foot swell from the west-northwest with a 12-second period and extreme energy of 9539. However, the wind is cross-onshore and moderate, so it’s raw, lumpy, and very heavy. Definitely only for experts, but the afternoon rating is slightly better at a score of 6. Keep an eye if you’re a big-wave specialist.

Tuesday, September 8th, has a 16-foot northwest swell with clean cross-offshore winds in the morning. Again, absolutely massive, expert territory. Energy is very strong at 6385.

The swell drops off hard Wednesday, September 9th, and Thursday, September 10th. The morning of the 10th has a glassy 2-foot west swell—clean but small.

Now, Friday, September 11th is your other big standout. The morning session serves up a 13-foot west swell at 9 seconds, with cross-offshore winds and strong energy of 2413. The afternoon gets even better: the same west swell stretches out to a 12-second period, and the breeze lightens to a gentle 6 mph offshore-ish wind from the southeast. Wave energy jumps to 4292. This is excellent quality and size for experienced surfers. The west direction is perfect for The Cove.

Saturday, September 12th and Sunday, September 13th drop back to 3-foot and 1-foot swells, with rougher winds and not much punch.

Bottom line: your top two sessions are Friday morning, September 4th, and the afternoon of Friday, September 11th. The 4th offers absolute glassy perfection on a solid 10-foot swell. The 11th gives slightly bigger, cleaner, longer-period waves. Don’t miss the 4th.

Rusty.

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