Ocean City - 14th 15th St Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s cooking for Ocean City.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the next 16 days are looking pretty flat. We’ve got a serious lull setting in. From now until around the end of August, the surf is just not happening. We’re talking poor conditions with tiny, weak swell. The first real sniff of anything worth paddling out for comes late on Friday the 28th, but it’s still a struggle.

Let’s break it down day by day. Tuesday the 25th through Thursday the 27th is a complete write-off. Tiny 1ft to 2ft swell from the SE with a period of 8 to 11 seconds, and the wind is mostly cross or cross-off, so it’s not even clean. The energy is weak, with readings between 21 and 76, so don’t expect any push.

Friday the 28th is the first day we see a glimmer of hope. The morning is still a no-go, but by Friday afternoon, we get a tiny 3ft swell from the SSE with a period of 7 seconds. The wind goes glassy, which is a rare treat, so the surface will be clean. The energy is still low at 85 though, and the waves are surfable but very ordinary. It’s the first time you can get wet, but keep your expectations on the floor.

Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th are back to poor conditions with onshore winds and even smaller swell. Monday the 31st sees a bit of a bump from the S at 3ft, but the period is a short 5 seconds, making it messy and weak. The wind is cross-off in the morning, so it’ll be clean, but the waves will be shifty and weak.

Now, here’s where it gets a little interesting but still nothing to write home about. Tuesday, September 1st, we get a long-period pulse from the SE. The swell is still tiny at 1ft, but the period jumps to 15 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, but with such little height, it’s not going to do much at a sandbar break like 14th & 15th St. The energy is 69 – still weak. The wind is light and cross-off, so it’ll be clean, but you’ll be waiting for a long time between sets for a waist-high wave.

Wednesday, September 2nd, is similar with a 1ft, 12-second swell and glassy conditions in the morning. The energy is 61. Again, surfable but very ordinary. The rest of the first week of September is a washout with onshore winds and tiny swell, up until Friday, September 5th.

The second week stays pretty grim. The standout period, if you can call it that, is Wednesday, September 9th. We get a clean 2ft swell from the S with a 5-second period – that’s short period, windswell stuff. The wind goes offshore from the NNW in the morning and WNW in the afternoon, so it’ll be clean. The energy is low at 36. It’s a small window of clean, small waves, but it’s the best the forecast offers.

Overall, this is a tough stretch for Ocean City. The water temp is sitting at 77°, but that’s a touch warmer than normal, which is nice, but it doesn’t make up for the lack of waves. For the whole 16-day window, there’s no real stand-out surf. If you’re desperate for a paddle, Friday afternoon the 28th or Wednesday morning the 9th are your best bets, but with the tiny swell and poor conditions, it might be more worthwhile to just wait for the next system.

Rusty, signing off.

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