LBI Long Beach Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on offer for LBI Long Beach Island. Gotta be straight with you—this is a lean stretch. The first real chance to get wet is on Wednesday afternoon, the 22nd of July, but it’s only a marginal window.

We’ve got a 6ft south swell running, with a period of 8 seconds. That’s a short-period wind swell, not the cleanest source, but for a beach break, it’s got some push. The combined swell energy is sitting at 709 (moderate), so there’s some juice in the water. Wind is blowing WSW at 9 mph, which is cross-offshore—that’s a big positive for clean faces. The weak link here is the water temperature, which is 76°, a touch warmer than normal for this time of year by about 3°, so it’s a bit on the balmy side. This is a beginner-friendly sandbar, but with the height around 6ft, it’s getting a bit too big for total beginners. The direction is S, which is not the optimum SE direction for this spot, so the waves might be a bit lumpy. Crowds are sometimes an issue here, so you might have some company.

After that, it’s a long dry spell. From Thursday the 23rd of July right through to the end of the month, conditions are poor. We’re looking at a mix of cross, cross-on, and onshore winds, with swell heights dropping to under 3ft and periods in the 6-8 second range. The combined energy drops to two-digit numbers, weak stuff. There’s a short window on Tuesday morning, the 28th of July, where the wind goes NNE at 6 mph, cross-offshore, and the swell is 2ft from the south, but it’s only a 1-rated session. The wave comment says “surfable but very ordinary.” That’s really the best of a bad lot.

Then there’s another little flicker on Thursday morning, the 30th of July, with clean conditions again (N wind at 6 mph, cross-off), but it’s still just 2ft and 8 seconds from the SSE, with a combined energy of 84. That’s weak. The afternoon of the same day sees a rise in energy to 104 (moderate) with a 3ft SSE swell at 9 seconds, but the wind goes onshore, and it’s a risk of thunderstorms. Not worth it.

The rest of the outlook through to the 6th of August is a wasteland. Morning of the 6th of August has light WSW wind at 3 mph, cross-off, but the swell is only 2ft from the south with a 4-second period. That’s almost flat.

So, the standout—and I mean the only standout—is that Wednesday afternoon, the 22nd of July. It’s not a classic, but it’s the best we’ve got. If you’re a beginner to intermediate, you might get a few fun ones. For everyone else, this is a week-plus of waiting for the ocean to wake up. The lack of consistency is pretty normal for this area in summer, so don’t be too bummed. Forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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