
Surf Forecasts:
The Cove surf forecast from 5 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 7 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 9s period, W swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 6 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 7s period, W swell with 568 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 5 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 9s 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 (Jul 05) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 6s. 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 2.3m 7s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 06) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sun 5th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Tue 7th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Mon 6th Jul) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Alright, Rusty here, let's have a look at what we've got for The Cove.
Alright, so the outlook for The Cove is a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks. We're looking at a lot of smaller, average days where the conditions just aren't quite coming together. There's plenty of swell on the horizon, but the wind is gonna be our biggest headache, often blowing cross or cross-on, which will mess up the face. The good news is, there are a few windows where things clean up, and we've got a couple of standouts.
Let's get into it. The first real chance for a surf kicks off on Sunday, the 5th of July. It's not going to be anything special, with a small 4ft WNW swell and a moderate combined energy of 243, but it's surfable. The morning has a light cross breeze, but the real treat is Sunday afternoon. The wind goes glassy, dead calm. That's a major positive. The swell drops a bit to 3ft, but with flat-calm conditions, you'll be able to find some clean, fun lines. It's the best wave quality of the first week, even if it's not big.
The week after that gets grim. From Monday morning through to the following weekend, it's all about strong winds from the west and northwest, or onshore breezes, with poor surf conditions consistently. There's a couple of mornings with clean conditions, like Wednesday, the 8th of July morning with a light SW breeze and a 5ft W swell that has a combined energy of 368, which is moderate and the most energy we see in that first week. It's a decent wave, but the wind is cross-off, so it won't be perfect. That's probably our best bet for that week if you can get out early.
Looking further ahead, there's a bit of a lull. The swell drops right off after the 14th, and most days are showing poor conditions. Then we get a pulse of energy around Friday, the 17th of July. The swell jumps to 4ft with a very long 12-second period from the W, with a combined energy of 438, indicating strong wave energy. The problem? The wind is blowing straight onshore from the north, and it's gonna be messy. That energy is a shame because with that long period, it would be an incredible wave at a point break or reef, but here with the onshore wind, it's a write-off for clean surfing.
There's a final glimmer on Sunday, the 19th of July morning. A tiny 2ft W swell, but with a clean offshore wind from the SSW. It's surfable but very ordinary. The water temp is sitting at 54°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
For the best sessions, keep your eyes on Sunday afternoon, the 5th for those clean, tiny waves, and Wednesday morning, the 8th for the most energy with okay conditions. Don't get your hopes up for the big swells later, as the wind is going to be a real pain.
Stay tuned, conditions can change, but it's looking like a lean couple of weeks.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 29mm), heaviest during Sun night. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed morning, min 12°C on Sun afternoon). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Mon afternoon, calm by Tue morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Thu morning, min 12°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sun 5 | Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 6 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
158 | 116 | 91 | 430 | 466 | 209 | 188 | 280 | 196 | 148 | 229 | 184 | 184 | 152 | 74 | 73 | 190 | 211 | 207 | 160 | 140 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross-off | on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 00:54AM4.60m | 1:39PM4.22m | 1:39AM4.51m | 2:30PM4.17m | 2:32AM4.42m | 3:28PM4.15m | 3:34AM4.35m | 4:32PM4.19m | 4:44AM4.32m | 5:39PM4.30m | 5:57AM4.37m | 6:43PM4.48m | 7:09AM4.50m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:47PM2.05m | 7:22AM1.70m | 7:31PM2.16m | 8:10AM1.79m | 8:23PM2.27m | 9:06AM1.88m | 9:27PM2.34m | 10:13AM1.93m | 10:45PM2.31m | 11:26AM1.91m | 00:02AM2.14m | 12:33PM1.81m | 1:08AM1.85m | ||||||||
— | — | 4:15 | — | — | 4:16 | — | — | 4:18 | — | — | 4:18 | — | — | 4:20 | — | — | 4:22 | — | — | 4:24 | |
— | 10:22 | — | — | 10:21 | — | — | 10:20 | — | — | 10:19 | — | — | 10:17 | — | — | 10:16 | — | — | 10:15 | 10:14 | |
mm | 1 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 17 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 18 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 13 |
Feels °C | 12 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 22 | 18 | 15 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | W 8 | W 8 | N 8 | N 10 | W 9 | W 9 | N 8 | N 8 | NNE 7 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 |
158 | 116 | 91 | 33 | 90 | 209 | 188 | 55 | 41 | 16 | 229 | 184 | 184 | 152 | 74 | 73 | 190 | 211 | 207 | 160 | 140 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | N 7 | N 8 | — | — | N 8 | N 8 | — | N 7 | N 7 | N 6 | NNE 10 | NNE 10 | NNE 9 | NNE 9 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | N 7 | WNW 10 |
— | 17 | 37 | — | — | 61 | 54 | — | 26 | 8 | 7 | 33 | 54 | 28 | 15 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 10 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 12 | — | — | — | W 13 | W 12 | — | — | — | — | N 7 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | 3 | 11 | — | — | — | — | 1 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | W 7 | W 8 | — | — | W 9 | W 9 | W 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | 430 | 466 | — | — | 280 | 196 | 148 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 369 | 369 | 63 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 16 | 7 | 32 | 21 |
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.











