North Wildwood Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks at North Wildwood are looking pretty flat. We’ve got a long stretch of tiny, messy conditions before anything even starts to look like a wave.

The water’s sitting at 77°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least the waiting game will be comfortable.

Right now, through Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th, we’re looking at ankle-snappers. The swell is a measly 1.0ft to 1ft out of the SE with weak energy (27 to 46 range). It’s just not doing anything. The wind is all over the place, but even when it’s clean on Wednesday morning, there’s simply no swell to work with.

Thursday the 20th through to Tuesday the 26th is a total write-off. We’re talking 0.7ft to 2ft of slop for days on end. The combined energy is pathetic, mostly in the single digits and low teens. A lot of onshore wind from the east and southeast will just chop it up. Honestly, you’d be better off on a kite on the 22nd when the wind cranks up to 15 mph and the swell bumps to 3ft with a 4-second period (energy 45) – that’s a kite-surf setup, not a paddle-surf one.

The first glimmer of hope comes on Wednesday the 27th morning. We’ve got a 1ft swell from the SE with a period of 16 seconds, combined energy hits 81, and the wind is light and cross-offshore from the WSW. That’s a clean, glassy morning. The period is long, so it’ll be a groundswell, but the size is tiny. For a log or a longboard, you might find a few clean little peelers. Honestly, it’s the only session that scores a “1” for surfable waves, so it’s the best we’ve got.

The wind goes south and the quality drops off again in the afternoon. After that, we’re back into a long gap of nothing until the end of the month.

The best potential, and I’m calling it a potential, lands on Sunday the 30th. The swell finally picks up to 3ft from the SE with a 12-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 232 (moderate). That’s a real pulse of energy. The problem? The wind is from the ENE at 12 mph, which is cross-onshore, making it choppy. It’s our only real chance of a wave with some push, but it’ll be a messy, lumpy affair. For a beach break like North Wildwood, the long period will make the waves a bit straight and fat, but there’s enough energy there to get a few rides if you’re desperate.

The afternoon of the 30th drops to 3ft (energy 164) and the wind stays cross-onshore. Then it’s back to flat for the first of September with nothing but tiny, weak swells and onshore winds.

So, the standout? It’s a slow one. The best on offer is a tie between the tiny, clean window on the 27th morning if you’re on a longboard, and the biggest, messiest swell on the 30th. Neither is a classic, but that’s the hand we’re dealt. For the area, a blank run like this is pretty normal, so don’t lose hope, forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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