Surf Forecasts:
Out Front surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 5s period, S swell with 44 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Out Front this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Out Front in the next 16 days are 1.0m 5s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 5s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 22) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 5s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Out Front over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty, checking in from right here at Out Front. Gotta be straight with you – the next two weeks are a bit of a grim watch for anyone hoping to paddle out. This spot, a beginner-friendly sandbar that likes swell from the ESE, just isn't getting the love it needs.
The water’s sitting at a warm 79°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, but that’s about the only thing that’s exciting.
We start off on Thursday the 20th, and honestly, it’s a total flat spell. Swells are barely a ripple, around 0.7ft to 1ft, with a short, weak period around 8 seconds. The wind is a messy cross-onshore breeze, and the wave energy is embarrassingly low, registering only a 9 on Thursday morning. It's just choppy, lumpy, and not worth getting wet for. This poor run of tiny, weak surf just drags on and on.
Friday the 21st through most of the following week doesn't get any better. We're looking at days of nothing but ankle-biters. A few afternoons, like Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd, do get a *clean* look with a light cross-offshore breeze, but the swell is still a pathetic 2ft with a period of just 4 to 6 seconds. The energy is weak, in the 20s and 30s. It’s like the ocean is asleep.
Even when the wind goes offshore on Monday the 24th, the swell is just 1ft. That’s not a wave, that’s a ripple. There’s a moment of glassy conditions on Thursday the 27th afternoon but again, with a 0.7ft wave, it's pure flatness.
The last few days of August and into September, we finally see a bit of a pulse. On Monday the 31st, there’s a tiny bump to 3ft with a clean cross-offshore wind, but the period is short (5 seconds) and the energy is still just 38. It's a brief tease. By Tuesday the 1st of September, the combined energy finally climbs into triple digits, reading 109, but the swell height is still a meek 2ft. There’s some hope on Thursday the 3rd of September with a fresh offshore wind from the NNW and a 3ft swell showing a bit more life, and again on Friday the 4th with clean offshore winds. But the height is still only 2ft to 3ft.
There isn't a single standout session in this entire 16-day window. It’s one long stretch of frustratingly small surf. For a spot that’s already inconsistent, this is a pretty normal quiet period. The best you can do is keep an eye on the 3rd and 4th of September for a chance at some clean, waist-high waves with that offshore wind. But don't get your hopes up.
Stay tuned, forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a good time to wax the longboard and keep it in the car just in case.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 40mm), heaviest during Fri night. Warm (max 28°C on Thu morning, min 22°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri night, fresh winds from the SSW by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Warm (max 28°C on Sun afternoon, min 21°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 8 | SE 8 | S 5 | SSE 5 | NE 5 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | S 4 | SSE 5 | SSE 6 | S 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 6 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 7 | 18 | 18 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 13 | 21 | 28 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 15 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 2:41PM1.11m | 3:02AM0.89m | 3:33PM1.09m | 4:00AM0.87m | 4:30PM1.10m | 5:01AM0.88m | 5:26PM1.12m | 5:58AM0.93m | 6:19PM1.17m | 6:48AM0.99m | 7:04PM1.22m | 7:31AM1.05m | 7:44PM1.26m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:25AM0.25m | 9:30PM0.29m | 9:27AM0.29m | 10:32PM0.28m | 10:28AM0.29m | 11:26PM0.24m | 11:23AM0.26m | 00:14AM0.20m | 12:13PM0.22m | 00:59AM0.14m | 1:00PM0.17m | 1:42AM0.08m | 1:46PM0.13m | 2:22AM0.03m | |||||||
 | |  |  |  |  |  | |  | |  |  | | | | | |  | | |  | |
 | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — |
 | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:44 | — | — | 7:42 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:39 | — |
mm | — | — | 12 | — | 2 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 28 | 28 | 28 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 23 |
Feels °C | 29 | 28 | 28 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 21 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 23 | 23 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | SE 8 | S 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 4 | ESE 9 | ENE 5 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 6 | S 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 | SSE 5 |
| kJ | 7 | 18 | 18 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 21 | 28 | 17 | 16 | 7 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 15 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 5 | E 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ENE 5 | ESE 8 | NE 5 | SE 13 | E 8 | ESE 12 | SE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | NE 4 | NE 4 | SE 11 | E 15 | ESE 10 |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 6 | 14 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 9 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 6 | — | E 6 | E 15 | E 15 | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | SE 13 | SE 9 | SE 13 | E 8 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | SSE 6 | E 8 | — | E 8 | E 14 |
| kJ | 1 | — | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 1 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSE 4 | — | NNE 3 | NE 5 | — | SSE 4 | S 4 | SSE 5 | — | — | — | NNW 2 | NW 2 | — | NE 4 | — | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | SSE 5 | — |
| kJ | — | 13 | — | 1 | 6 | — | 5 | 12 | 13 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | 12 | 11 | 19 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 640 | 670 | 41 | 1108 | 2534 | 222 | 200 | 3 | 122 | 3 | 3 | 41 | 215 | 41 | 222 | 295 | 440 | 134 | 375 | 375 | 124 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Virginia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Out Front surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Out Front Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Out Front provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Out Front can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Out Front 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 (Out Front) 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 Out Front 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.
Out Front is 55 km (34 miles) from Ocean City. If you plan a vacation in Virginia, 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.
Nearest