Sandy Hook/The Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again, giving you the real talk on Sandy Hook/The Cove. If you're looking to surf, I'm telling you now – this spot is a ghost town for the next couple of weeks.

It's a beginner-friendly beach and reef setup, but the ocean has nothing to give it. The water on July 5th was reading 76°, which is a wild 7° warmer than normal for this time of year. That's a seriously unusual warm pool, but it won't help you catch a wave.

Looking at the entire 16-day run, it's basically flat and trashed. We start on Sunday the 5th with a tiny 1ft SE swell, but a risk of thunderstorms and a 12 mph cross-shore wind make it a total bust. The energy reading is a weak 13 – just pathetic.

Monday the 6th tries to show a pulse with a tiny onshore 1ft bump in the morning, but the wind is junk. By the afternoon, a strong 25 mph NE wind whips up a 3ft ENE swell, but it's onshore and messy (combined energy 53). That's just choppy whitewater – more fun for a kite than a surfboard.

The whole first week is the same story. Tiny swells under 3ft, with directions swinging from ESE to SSE, and almost always a cross or onshore wind ruining the shape. Every session is clearly marked as "poor surf conditions." On Thursday the 9th, we get clean conditions with an offshore breeze, but the swell has dropped to a pathetic 0.7ft. That's a pond.

There's a brief moment on Saturday the 11th afternoon where the combined energy bumps up to 111 (moderate) with a 2ft SSE swell and a 9-second period, but it's still cross-shore and choppy. It's the only time we see any real energy, but it's nothing to write home about.

The second week actually has some clean windows. The morning of Monday the 13th and Tuesday the 14th afternoon both show offshore winds with tiny waist-high bumps. But the wave heights are stuck at 0.7ft to 1ft – not enough to get a ride. The energy readings are below 23. It's frustrating: the wind is perfect, but there's simply no swell.

By the end of the run, Saturday the 18th afternoon has a 3ft SSE swell with a cross-onshore wind and 62 combined energy. It's choppy and weak. That's the best of a bad bunch. Honestly, there’s no standout day. Nothing is big enough to worry beginners, and nothing has the period or power to get excited about.

So to put it bluntly: leave the board at home. The forecast shows a solid two-week dry spell. This is one of those times the area just goes quiet. Forecasts can change, but right now, the Cove is a miss.

Rusty.

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