Ocean City - 8th Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Ocean City has in store for us over the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, the first week and a half is a bit of a flat spell. We’re looking at small, choppy, and generally messy conditions from Friday the 24th of July right through until the morning of Wednesday the 30th of July. The swell is tiny, the wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, and the wave energy is weak. It’s not worth paddling out for.

The first real glimmer of hope comes on the morning of Thursday the 30th of July. We’ve got a bit of a bump in energy – the combined swell energy hits 132 (moderate) – with a small 3 ft SSE swell rolling in at 9 seconds. The wind finally goes light offshore from the NW, and the report says the surf will be clean. That’s the best we’ll see in the first week, but it’s still a small wave and there’s a risk of thunderstorms. The water temperature is 76°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

The pattern doesn’t improve much after that. The afternoon on Thursday the 30th gets ruined by a cross-shore breeze, and Friday the 31st is back to light wind ripples. Saturday the 1st of August and Sunday the 2nd of August actually see a bigger swell push through – 5 ft and 4 ft – but the wind is a strong cross-onshore, making it choppy and lumpy. The energy is moderate to strong (228 and 151), but the quality is poor. This setup is more interesting for the kite surfers than us paddle surfers.

The real standout, if you can wait, is the morning of Tuesday the 4th of August. It’s not a big swell – only 1 ft from the SE with a 7-second period – but the wind goes glassy. Glassy conditions on a small wave can still be a fun session on a longboard at Ocean City - 8th Street. The energy is very weak (26), and the break is a beginner-friendly spot that’s fairly consistent and fairly exposed. The downside is that crowds are possible here, so you might have some company. This is the only window in the entire 16 days where the wind is perfectly clean.

After that, we’re back to small, onshore slop until the end of the outlook. The morning of Saturday the 8th of August sees a light cross-offshore breeze, which gives clean conditions on a tiny 2 ft SSE swell, but it’s nothing to get excited about.

Overall, it’s a tough run. The forecast can change, and it tends not to stay this poor for long, but for now, the only real session worth paddling for is that glassy morning on the 4th of August.

Stay patient, and keep an eye on the sky.

Rusty.

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