The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for The Cove.

Right off the bat, we're looking at a pretty grim run of surf for the first week. The Cove is usually a fairly consistent reef, but the wind and swell just aren't lining up. The water temp is sitting at 57°F with a normal anomaly, so nothing unusual there for this time of year.

From Monday the 17th right through to Thursday the 21st, it's one poor surf condition after another. The swell is tiny, mostly 2ft to 2ft, and coming from the north with a short period of 7 to 8 seconds. The wind is all over the place – cross, cross-on, and onshore – making for choppy, messy conditions. The combined wave energy is weak, ranging from 40 to 102 (weak energy), so there's just no punch. Honestly, it's barely worth paddling out. The next few days, the 22nd and 23rd, aren't any better. The wind picks up with a fresh breeze, and it's still cross-onshore or cross, with the swell never getting above 5ft. The energy is moderate at best, hitting 260 (moderate energy) on Saturday morning, but it's all lumpy and horrible.

Then we hit a dry spell. The 24th of August is just more of the same – tiny, weak swell with no hope. Things don't start looking up until Tuesday the 25th. That's the first real glimmer of hope. The swell is 4ft in the morning and 4ft in the afternoon, coming from the west with a period of 9 to 10 seconds. The wind turns offshore, light from the SSW and SSE, and the conditions are clean. It's still not huge, but the combined energy is moderate at 290 (moderate energy) and 222 (moderate energy), and the clean offshore wind will make for some tidy, workable waves. The Cove is an exposed reef, so that west swell will wrap in nicely. This is the standout for the first week.

Wednesday the 26th looks solid too. The morning is a bit ordinary with a moderate offshore breeze, but the afternoon brings a 5ft west swell with an 11-second period, pushing the energy up to 485 (moderate energy). The wind is offshore and clean. That's a proper session.

After that, the wind gets messy again on the 27th and 28th, ruining the shape. But then, on Saturday the 29th of August, we get another bright spot. Early morning, the swell jumps to 6ft from the NNW, with a very light SSE breeze making it glassy clean. That's a solid wave for The Cove, with moderate energy at 373 (moderate energy). The afternoon is wrecked by a strong cross-wind, but the morning session is the real deal.

The very end of the outlook, Monday the 1st of September, throws a big one at us – an 12ft west swell in the morning and 8ft in the afternoon. That's expert territory, over 8ft. The energy is huge, 1447 (strong to very strong wave energy) and 881 (strong to very strong wave energy). The wind is light, but it's cross-on in the morning, so it won't be perfect. The afternoon sees a moderate cross-off breeze, which is cleaner. This is a long-range call, so promising but less certain. For a reef break like The Cove, that long-period groundswell will be a proper charging session, but it's only for the crew with the right skills.

So, if you're looking for the best of the bunch, hit Tuesday the 25th of August for clean, fun waves, or Wednesday the 26th of August afternoon for a bit more size. The Saturday morning the 29th is also a proper standout with that clean 6ft swell. Keep an eye on the big swell on the 1st of September, but that's for the experts only.

Rusty.

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