Sandy Hook/The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this outlook for Sandy Hook / The Cove is a tough one. We’re looking at a long stretch ahead with very little to get excited about. The first recommendation for any sort of surfable waves doesn’t show up until Monday the 3rd of August, making for a solid five-day gap from the start of the forecast with nothing worth paddling out for.

The water temp is sitting at 74°, which is about 1° warmer than normal for this time of year, so nothing crazy there, just a typical summer bath.

For the first week, it’s pretty grim. Monday the 27th and Tuesday the 28th of July offer tiny, weak swell around 1 ft from the southeast, with short period windswell of just 7 seconds. The combined energy is barely registering in the teens and twenties. Winds are mostly cross or cross-off, but the wave quality is just “poor surf conditions” – full disclosure, it’s not worth your time. Wednesday the 29th of July has a slight highlight with the afternoon going glassy, but the swell is still only 2 ft and the energy is weak (37). It’s clean, but you’ll be bobbing around for nothing.

The real low point is the weekend. From Thursday the 30th into Saturday the 1st of August, we’ve got onshore winds, rain, and swell dropping to 0.7 ft. The combined energy dips as low as 4. That’s flat. Sunday the 2nd of August is similar – just no go.

Things finally get lukewarm on Monday the 3rd of August. The morning brings a light cross-offshore breeze from the WNW, and the swell bumps up to 2 ft, with a combined energy of 58. The afternoon is the only real standout in the entire 16-day window. The swell picks up to 4 ft from the SSE, with a period of 8 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 243 – that’s moderate wave energy. Winds are light from the NW, leaving it clean. Now, this is still a beach and reef setup, so 4 ft is manageable. It’s the best you’ll see, but it’s still only a "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions" rating. The swell direction is SSE, which is close to the optimum ESE, so it’s not a perfect match.

After that, it’s back to the doldrums. From Tuesday the 4th of August right through to the end of the forecast on Tuesday the 11th of August, the swell is consistently under 2 ft, mostly 1 ft or less, with energy numbers in the teens. Winds are a mess of cross and onshore, and the wave comment is a broken record of “poor surf conditions.” There’s a brief moment of glass on Friday the 7th of August morning, but the swell is only 1 ft – not enough to do anything with.

So, the one and only true standout is Monday afternoon the 3rd of August. It’s not epic, but it’s the only window where the swell gets over 3 ft and the wind plays nice. If you’re desperate, that’s your shot. Otherwise, this stretch looks more interesting for a kite than a paddle.

Rusty.

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