Westport-The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Westport-The Cove (beach/jetty) over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a rough start. For the first week, from Tuesday the 4th of August right through to Monday the 11th, it’s pretty much a write-off. The swell is tiny and weak, mostly below 1ft, and it’s coming from the SW with these weirdly long periods (15 to 20 seconds). That’s a groundswell for sure, but at a beach/jetty setup like this, that kind of long period just makes things close out straight and weird. Plus, the wind is cross-onshore almost every session, making it lumpy and choppy. The combined wave energy is weak, barely cracking 200 (180-249), so there’s just no juice in the water. Nothing to get excited about.

Now, we finally see a pulse around Wednesday the 12th of August. The swell bumps up to 5ft from the WNW, with a period of 7 seconds. That’s short-period windswell, but the energy jumps to a moderate 358-435. Still, the wind is cross-onshore, so the conditions are poor. Not the day to call in sick for.

By Thursday the 13th and Friday the 14th, the swell holds at 5ft from the WNW, and the period stretches to 8 seconds. The energy is solid now, hitting 381-449. The wind turns more cross-shore, especially in the mornings, with a light breeze. We get a couple of “marginal” calls, which means the tide might mess with it, but it’s the best we’ve seen so far. It’s still not clean, but it’s surfable if you’re keen.

The standout arrives on Saturday the 15th of August. Saturday morning has 6ft of WNW swell at 8 seconds, and the combined energy rockets up to 710 – that’s strong wave energy. The wind is a gentle cross-shore breeze, and the description says “gentle cross-shore with slight cross-chop.” That’s the cleanest we’ll get in this window. The water temp is about average for this time of year. This is the pick of the fortnight. The Cove is a beginner-friendly spot, and with 6ft, it’s pushing into the steeper end for newcomers, but for the experienced crew, it’s the best on offer. The swell direction is WNW, which matches the optimum swell direction of WSW pretty well. Expect crowds to be possible here, as it’s a fairly consistent spot.

Sunday the 16th drops right back off to 2ft from the SW with a very long 16-second period, and the energy is down to 385. The wind is cross-onshore again. Not worth it.

Monday the 17th brings a new pulse: 3ft to 4ft from the W, with a period of 13-14 seconds. The energy is strong, hitting 551-719, but it’s cross-onshore and messy. The morning is marginal, but the afternoon is poor.

Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th are similar – 2ft to 3ft from the W, period 12-13 seconds, energy moderate to strong (258-414). Wednesday morning actually has a light cross-offshore breeze from the SW and clean conditions, with a “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” tag. It’s the best of a bad bunch at the very end of the run.

So, overall, if you’ve got a window, make it Saturday morning on the 15th of August. That’s the one session that looks like it could actually deliver. The rest of the fortnight is a grind of poor winds and sloppy conditions.

Stay salty,
Rusty

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