Surf Forecasts:
Castles surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 23 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 6s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 22 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 6s period, E swell with 130 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 6s period with E swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Castles this week:
The surf forecast for Castles over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Castles in the next 16 days are 1.3m 6s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 22) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Friday (Aug 21) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Castles over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.
First up, I gotta be straight with you – this stretch from now through the end of August is a real mixed bag. We’ve got a heap of days where the surf is just too small or the wind has got it all chopped up. The water is sitting at 78°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a thick suit.
The best bet in the whole 16-day window hangs on the morning of Tuesday, 25th August at Castles. That morning we see a little spike with 4ft from the SSW, period of 5 seconds – so it’s short period wind swell, but the energy is moderate (109). The wind is a light cross-offshore breeze from the NNE at 6 mph, keeping it clean. It’s only surfable waves, nothing epic, but given the rest of the outlook, this is the standout. Castles is a sandbar break, fairly consistent, and crowds are sometimes an issue, so keep an eye out.
The run from now until that Tuesday is pretty grim. Monday 17th sees 4ft from the south in the morning, but the wind is cross-off and there’s a risk of thunderstorms. Afternoon drops to 3ft but with very light wind. It’s surfable but ordinary. Tuesday 18th and Wednesday 19th are tiny with poor conditions. We get a long gap of small, messy surf all the way through to Monday 24th, with most days scoring a zero.
That Tuesday 25th morning is your window. The afternoon of the 25th jumps up to 6ft from the south but it’s cross-onshore and choppy – that’s for the experts only and not pretty. Later in the week, from Thursday 27th onward, wind picks up hard from the east at 19 mph, with 3 to 3ft of swell from the southeast. Energy gets strong (over 200) but conditions are blown out. By Friday 28th the swell hits 5ft from the southeast with strong energy (651) but fresh cross-shore winds make it lumpy. This setup is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
The second week stays poor. Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th offer tiny, messy surf. Monday 31st and Tuesday 1st September fizzle out with nothing worth paddling for.
So bottom line: don’t hold your breath. The one bright moment is the morning of Tuesday 25th August at Castles. Otherwise, it’s a long blank run.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Warm (max 30°C on Mon afternoon, min 23°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 20mm), heaviest during Fri morning. Warm (max 27°C on Thu morning, min 20°C on Fri afternoon). Winds increasing (calm on Thu morning, fresh winds from the NNE by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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) | SSE 5 | SSW 5 | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | SE 11 | SSE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | E 6 | E 6 | ENE 6 | E 6 | SE 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 47 | 20 | 45 | 41 | 46 | 40 | 64 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 87 | 123 | 112 | 53 | 38 | 36 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | glassy | off | cross | on | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 12:40PM1.26m | 00:52AM1.10m | 1:27PM1.22m | 1:39AM1.01m | 2:14PM1.18m | 2:27AM0.92m | 3:06PM1.14m | 3:26AM0.87m | 4:08PM1.13m | 4:37AM0.84m | 5:10PM1.15m | 5:38AM0.87m | 6:02PM1.19m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:54PM0.18m | 7:06AM0.16m | 7:48PM0.24m | 7:50AM0.22m | 8:43PM0.30m | 8:35AM0.28m | 9:43PM0.34m | 9:27AM0.32m | 10:49PM0.35m | 10:28AM0.33m | 11:47PM0.33m | 11:27AM0.31m | 00:37AM0.28m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | | | | |  | | |  |  | |  |  | | | |  |  | |
 | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — |
 | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:49 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:44 | — | — | 7:42 | — |
mm | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 5 | 5 | — | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 28 | 4 |
Temp °C | 27 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 21 |
Feels °C | 29 | 34 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 27 | 25 | 21 | 22 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 5 | SSW 5 | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 10 | SE 7 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ENE 6 | E 6 | S 6 |
| kJ | 47 | 20 | 45 | 41 | 46 | 29 | 64 | 15 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 53 | 38 | 28 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | SE 5 | SE 9 | SE 12 | SSE 12 | SE 11 | — | SE 9 | SE 6 | S 5 | SSE 5 | S 3 | S 4 | S 5 | — | SE 9 | SE 10 | — | S 5 | S 5 | ENE 6 |
| kJ | 9 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 40 | — | 22 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 3 | 4 | — | 5 | 5 | 11 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SE 9 | S 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 5 | — | SSE 5 | SE 5 | SE 14 | SE 14 | — | S 5 | SE 9 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | SE 12 |
| kJ | 3 | 12 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | 2 | 1 | 8 | 8 | — | 1 | 3 | 15 | 14 | 36 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | WNW 3 | — | — | — | — | SSW 3 | SSW 3 | — | S 5 | — | NE 4 | NE 4 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | E 6 | E 6 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 5 | — | 2 | — | 21 | 16 | 24 | 87 | 123 | 112 | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 32 | 60 | 32 | 138 | 149 | 25 | 4 | 62 | 67 | 163 | 1172 | 257 | 1070 | 139 | 434 | 124 | 187 | 42 | 4 | 271 | 4 |
Best forecast wave conditions in New Jersey | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Castles Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Castles provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Castles can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Castles 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 (Castles) 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 Castles 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.
Castles is 8 km (5 miles) from Atlantic City. If you plan a vacation in New Jersey, look for hotels and other accommodation in Atlantic City. Atlantic City has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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