The Cove
Seaside, OR
The Cove sits at the north end of Seaside where the beach curves in against the base of Tillamook Head, a completely different feel from the wide, flat sand a mile south. It's the town's real surf spot, sheltered enough by the headland to hold a cleaner break than the open beach gets.
The best real surf break in Seaside and a genuinely different scene from the tourist beach nearby, though the take off zone gets crowded on a good swell.
How we score beachesCheck it at low tide if you're not surfing. The cove narrows enough at high water that there's barely a beach left to stand on.
Limited street parking near the north end of Sunset Boulevard; it's a short walk in from there.
Access is over rockier, uneven sand near the headland, less forgiving than the main Seaside beach.
Water stays cold year round, in the 50s, and the most consistent surf tends to show up in fall and winter storm swells rather than the calmer summer months.
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