Surf Forecasts:
Higgins Beach surf forecast from 27 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 2 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 7s period, E swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 3 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 9s period, ESE swell with 227 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 28 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 8s period with SE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Higgins Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Higgins Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 4s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Higgins Beach in the next 16 days are 1.2m 9s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 03) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 29) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Fri 28th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Higgins Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what Higgins Beach has in store for us over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you – it's a rough forecast. We're looking at a long, painful stretch of small, weak, and generally messy surf with almost nothing to get excited about. There's a long gap of poor conditions before we see anything even worth mentioning.
The water is sitting at 65°F right now, which is a touch warmer than normal for late August, but that's about the only thing that's working in our favour early on.
We kick off on Thursday 27 August with waves around 3ft to 3ft from the SE, but the wind is a cross-onshore southerly at 12 to 15 mph, chopping it all up. The combined swell energy is only 122 (moderate wave energy) and the 'wave comment' says it all: "poor surf conditions". This is flat-out unsurfable. That same sad story runs all the way through the end of August, with nothing but cross-shore breezes, tiny swell, and weak energy readings dropping down into the 20s. Saturday 30 August is a total write-off with only 1ft waves and clean conditions, but it's just too small.
We roll into September with hardly any change. Monday 1st September has a bit more energy at 95 (weak wave energy) but a sloppy, short-period 4ft wave from the east with a cross-onshore wind. Still garbage.
Finally, there’s a tiny flicker on Wednesday 2nd September. The morning glass-off with an ENE breeze at just 3 mph delivers the cleanest we’ll see. The swell is 5ft from the east, period is a short 7 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 196 (moderate wave energy). The report calls it "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions". It’s not good by any standard, but in this dead run, it’s the best we get. If you’re desperate, that Wednesday morning window is your only chance for a few grovelly ones.
The following day, Thursday 3rd September, has another glassy window in the afternoon, but the swell drops to 3ft. After that, it’s back to small, onshore slop for the rest of the 16-day window. A couple of clean cross-off days around Friday 4th and Saturday 5th September see solid 18-19 mph winds, but the swell is tiny, barely 2ft to 3ft. The energy is in the dumps, between 35 and 129. There's a slight bump on Monday 7th September with 4ft south swell and energy up to 168, but it’s cross-onshore again. The whole thing just fizzles out.
Look, this is one of those blank runs for Higgins Beach. Consistent it might be, but consistently poor. There’s nothing here for beginners, and definitely nothing for experts. Unless you’re a kite surfer and want to make the most of some clean, strong cross-off winds on tiny waves, there’s no reason to paddle out.
Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Warm (max 25°C on Fri afternoon, min 16°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Thu night, light winds from the ENE by Sat morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Mon night. Warm (max 30°C on Sun afternoon, min 14°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 6 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 4 | E 5 | E 6 | E 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
118 | 86 | 97 | 115 | 54 | 60 | 55 | 37 | 32 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 10 | 33 | 80 | 144 | 176 | 199 | 176 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 11:26AM2.63m | 11:32PM2.93m | 11:59AM2.74m | 00:09AM2.96m | 12:32PM2.84m | 00:46AM2.96m | 1:07PM2.93m | 1:25AM2.94m | 1:44PM3.00m | 2:07AM2.88m | 2:25PM3.04m | 2:54AM2.79m | 3:11PM3.04m | 3:46AM2.68m | |||||||
Low Tide | 5:19PM0.27m | 5:48AM0.06m | 5:56PM0.16m | 6:21AM0.02m | 6:34PM0.08m | 6:55AM-0.01m | 7:14PM0.01m | 7:32AM-0.00m | 7:56PM-0.04m | 8:12AM0.04m | 8:43PM-0.04m | 8:57AM0.11m | 9:34PM-0.01m | ||||||||
5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | |
— | 7:24 | — | — | 7:23 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:19 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | 2 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 9 | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 25 | 30 | 27 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
Feels °C | 20 | 21 | 19 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 21 | 27 | 25 | 20 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SSE 5 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 6 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 11 | SSE 11 | SE 10 |
118 | 86 | 57 | 115 | 54 | 60 | 55 | 37 | 32 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 17 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 12 | 35 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SE 8 | — | — | — | S 6 | S 3 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SSE 6 | — | SE 13 | SE 12 | — | S 7 | SE 10 |
— | — | — | 55 | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 4 | — | 7 | 6 | — | 1 | 34 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 4 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | — | — | — | E 14 | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 7 | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 4 | SSE 4 | SSE 6 | — | SSE 5 | N 3 | NNE 3 | SSE 3 | SW 3 | SW 3 | SW 3 | W 3 | — | SSE 2 | E 2 | ESE 4 | E 5 | E 6 | E 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 |
4 | 41 | 97 | — | 13 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 33 | 80 | 144 | 176 | 199 | 176 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 92 | 1335 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 42 | 42 | 306 | 306 | 326 | 3486 | 989 | 560 | 560 | 541 | 265 | 2802 | 42 | 42 | 468 | 283 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Maine | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Higgins Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Higgins Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Higgins Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Higgins Beach 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 (Higgins Beach) 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 Higgins Beach 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.
Higgins Beach is 9 km (6 miles) from South Portland Gardens. If you plan a vacation in Maine, look for hotels and other accommodation in South Portland Gardens. South Portland Gardens has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











