Surf Forecasts:
Margate Pier surf forecast from 12 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 17 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 6s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 12s period, SE swell with 118 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 17 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 6s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Margate Pier this week:
The surf forecast for Margate Pier over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 6s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Margate Pier in the next 16 days are 0.6m 12s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 13) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Margate Pier over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m lookin’ at the outlook for Margate Pier.
Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this 16-day window is a tough one. The water is sitting at a warm 79°, which is a good 5° above the long-term average, so it’s feeling much warmer than normal for this time of year. But the surf? It’s a real struggle. We’re looking at a long stretch of tiny, weak, and often onshore slop. The first real glimmer of anything even remotely rideable doesn’t show up until the morning of Monday the 17th, and even then it’s a 1/10 call. The energy is pitiful, with the combined swell energy barely cracking 6. It’s a whole lot of nothing for the first week plus.
The only time the ocean puts on a bit of a pulse is around Friday the 21st. The morning brings a 6ft swell from the south, with a period of 7 seconds, and the numbers show a combined energy of 405. That’s a moderate jolt of energy, but it’s still a short-period swell, so it’s not going to have that real long, drawn-out power. The wind is a clean cross-off from the north at 12 mph, which is a major positive. That’s the one standout session. The swell is right around 6ft, which is getting a bit too much for the groms and beginners, but it’s a good size for the intermediates. It’s a Friday, so you might bump into a few other locals, but it’s worth the paddle out. The only other half-decent window is the morning of Monday the 24th, with a 2ft swell from the east, but the wind is a gentle cross-onshore, making it a bit bumpy.
After that, the swell tries to build again around the 25th and 26th, with 6ft to 6ft swell from the east, but the wind is all onshore or cross-onshore, making it a choppy, messy mess. The energy is moderate (around 300-400), but the conditions are just poor. For a beach/pier setup like this, with that much chop and strong winds, it’s honestly looking more interesting for the kite surfers than for us paddle guys.
So, to sum it up: nail the Friday morning of the 21st for the cleanest, most substantial swell of the whole run. The rest is a long stretch of waiting for the wind to sort itself out. Come back in a week and we’ll see if the forecasts have changed.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Wed night. Warm (max 31°C on Thu afternoon, min 22°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Sun night. Warm (max 29°C on Mon afternoon, min 22°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Sun afternoon, light winds from the NNW by Mon afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | |||||||||||||||
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) | S 5 | S 5 | S 3 | SSW 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | E 13 | S 6 | ENE 5 | ENE 4 | SSE 6 | S 3 | S 5 | S 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 6 | SSE 9 | SE 14 | SE 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 3 | 5 | 8 | 29 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 7 | 13 | 3 | 42 | 60 | 62 | 36 | 24 | 33 | 34 | 118 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:10AM1.25m | 8:30PM1.59m | 9:00AM1.30m | 9:17PM1.56m | 9:48AM1.34m | 10:03PM1.49m | 10:34AM1.35m | 10:47PM1.39m | 11:20AM1.33m | 11:31PM1.27m | 12:06PM1.30m | 00:16AM1.15m | 12:54PM1.25m | 1:05AM1.04m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:11PM-0.07m | 3:02AM-0.10m | 3:04PM-0.08m | 3:48AM-0.10m | 3:55PM-0.05m | 4:32AM-0.07m | 4:45PM0.00m | 5:14AM-0.01m | 5:35PM0.07m | 5:56AM0.06m | 6:27PM0.15m | 6:39AM0.14m | 7:21PM0.23m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | |  | | | | |  |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — |
 | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:51 | — | — | 7:50 | — |
mm | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 25 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 31 | 29 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 29 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 25 |
Feels °C | 24 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 24 | 24 | 26 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 5 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSW 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | SE 10 | S 6 | S 5 | ENE 4 | ENE 4 | SE 9 | — | — | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 6 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 12 |
| kJ | 2 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 3 | — | — | 62 | 36 | 24 | 33 | 34 | 118 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | — | E 11 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SE 9 | E 13 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SSE 6 | SE 9 | NE 4 | — | — | — | — | SE 9 | SE 15 | SSE 14 | NE 4 |
| kJ | 3 | — | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 9 | 19 | 1 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 7 | E 11 | E 8 | SE 11 | E 11 | E 13 | NE 4 | — | — | — | SE 9 | — | E 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 14 | — |
| kJ | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 3 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 29 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 5 | S 3 | SSW 5 | W 2 | — | — | SSW 2 | — | ENE 5 | — | SSE 6 | S 3 | S 5 | S 6 | — | — | — | NE 4 | ENE 4 | — |
| kJ | — | 5 | 8 | 29 | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | 14 | — | 13 | 3 | 42 | 60 | — | — | — | 7 | 6 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2386 | 2513 | 963 | 7 | 241 | 2200 | 1098 | 3122 | 549 | 690 | 1090 | 1280 | 1184 | 1441 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 50 | 174 | 403 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in New Jersey | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Margate Pier Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Margate Pier provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Margate Pier can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Margate Pier 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 (Margate Pier) 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 Margate Pier 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.
Margate Pier is 6 km (4 miles) from Ocean City. If you plan a vacation in New Jersey, look for hotels and other accommodation in Ocean City. Ocean City has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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