Surf Forecasts:
The Cove surf forecast from 28 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 2 Sep, 1PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 9s period, NNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 4 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s period, W swell with 4,470 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 31 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 7s period with NNE 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 Monday (Aug 31) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 10s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 4s is also forecast. 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 3.5m 13s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 04) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Monday (Aug 31) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Mon 31st Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 1PM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Fri 4th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what The Cove has got cookin' for us over the next couple of weeks. Gotta be honest with ya, straight out of the gate it's lookin' pretty grim. We've got a run of poor conditions that stretches for days, so don't even think about paddling out just yet.
The first real sniff of anything worth your time doesn't show up until Tuesday morning, the 1st of September. We've got a fresh south-southwest wind blowin' offshore, cleaning things right up. The swell is a solid 6ft from the west, but the period is a short and choppy 6 seconds. The combined energy is moderate (272). It's a marginal call, but that offshore wind is a huge plus. Still, with that short period, it might be a bit of a bumpy ride.
The real standout of the whole forecast, and I say this with a bit of caution, is the combination we see on Wednesday the 2nd of September. Starting in the morning, we've got a light cross-shore wind with some small ripples, a 4ft swell from the northwest, and a longer 9-second period. The energy is solid (548). Then, by Wednesday afternoon, it cleans right up with an offshore breeze from the east-southeast. The swell bumps up a hair to 5ft from the north-northwest. The water temp is sitting at a normal 57° for the time of year. This is the pick of the period for an intermediate surfer – good direction, cleaner conditions, and better shape.
Moving into the second week, it gets messy again and there are no real standouts. You've got one more look on the 5th, a Saturday, with a 6ft west swell in the afternoon but it's cross-shore and choppy. After that, the wind turns nasty and the swell gets either too small or blown out by gale-force winds. There's a massive 21ft swell on the 8th of September, but it's accompanied by a near-gale cross-onshore wind and a combined energy of 10763. That's not surf, that's a survival mission. The following days are all blown out or too small to mention.
So, to sum it up: If you can snag that Wednesday the 2nd of September, that's your window. The morning looks fun, the afternoon looks cleaner. Get on it.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun afternoon, min 12°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NE on Sat night, fresh winds from the W by Mon morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Tue morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Mon night, min 10°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NW on Tue morning, light winds from the ESE by Wed morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | ||||||||||||||
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) | NE 4 | NNE 5 | N 6 | N 6 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | NNE 7 | W 8 | W 6 | W 8 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NNW 8 | N 10 | W 8 | W 9 | W 10 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 21 | 56 | 95 | 132 | 159 | 92 | 71 | 44 | 33 | 15 | 186 | 240 | 1383 | 1398 | 262 | 250 | 270 | 671 | 896 | 955 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | off | off | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 9:46PM5.03m | 10:13AM4.81m | 10:16PM5.11m | 10:42AM4.84m | 10:47PM5.13m | 11:13AM4.82m | 11:19PM5.06m | 11:47AM4.72m | 11:55PM4.92m | 12:25PM4.57m | 00:38AM4.69m | 1:11PM4.38m | 1:32AM4.40m | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:03AM1.17m | 4:11PM1.43m | 4:35AM1.10m | 4:44PM1.40m | 5:08AM1.12m | 5:17PM1.45m | 5:43AM1.23m | 5:54PM1.57m | 6:21AM1.42m | 6:34PM1.76m | 7:04AM1.70m | 7:23PM1.99m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  | |  | | | | |  |  |  | |  |  |  | | | |
 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — |
 | 8:27 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:13 | — | — | 8:09 | — |
mm | 7 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 11 |
Feels °C | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 7 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | N 7 | NNE 7 | W 8 | NNW 9 | N 8 | — | NW 9 | NNW 8 | N 10 | N 10 | N 10 | W 10 |
| kJ | 18 | 74 | 37 | 18 | 159 | 92 | 71 | 44 | 33 | 15 | 186 | 26 | 22 | — | 262 | 250 | 270 | 122 | 89 | 955 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | W 7 | — | — | E 6 | W 9 | W 8 | W 10 | W 9 | NNE 9 | N 6 | NNE 8 | — | — | N 9 | N 11 | SE 5 | — | — | N 9 |
| kJ | 10 | 4 | — | — | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 14 | 8 | 13 | 6 | — | — | 189 | 125 | 4 | — | — | 40 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 7 | N 8 | — | — | W 10 | — | N 12 | W 8 | W 11 | N 9 | W 10 | E 5 | — | — | W 8 | W 8 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | 3 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 31 | 1 | — | — | 97 | 57 | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 4 | NNE 5 | N 6 | N 6 | — | ENE 3 | E 4 | E 4 | — | W 5 | — | W 6 | W 8 | NW 9 | — | SE 3 | WSW 4 | W 8 | W 9 | — |
| kJ | 21 | 56 | 95 | 132 | — | 3 | 9 | 7 | — | 80 | — | 240 | 1383 | 1398 | — | 3 | 52 | 671 | 896 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 167 | 223 | 176 | 65 | 16 | 16 | 65 | 10 | 176 | 453 | 0 | 8 | 700 | 303 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 1153 | 531 | 63 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our The Cove surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest