Surf Forecasts:
Sandy Hook/The Cove surf forecast from 13 Sep 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 19 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 12s period, ESE swell with 54 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Sandy Hook/The Cove this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Sandy Hook/The Cove in the next 16 days are 0.4m 12s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 19) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Monday (Sep 14) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Sat 19th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Sandy Hook/The Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at the 16-day outlook for Sandy Hook / The Cove. I’ve got to be straight with you – it’s a tough stretch for paddle surfing. The water’s sitting at 75°, which is a whopping 6° warmer than normal for this time of year, very unusual.
We kick off on Sunday, the 13th of September, with a tiny 2ft swell out of the SE and a short period of 5 seconds. The combined wave energy is weak at 14. Rain showers Sunday morning with a cross-onshore breeze won't help. The afternoon clears up and goes glassy with a light cross-offshore wind, but that 2ft won’t do much. Monday the 14th is even smaller, with a 0.7ft to 1ft SE swell and fresh cross-shore winds. It’s pretty much flat through to the end of the first week, all scoring zeros in the wave quality department. The break is fairly consistent here, but this run is a real lull.
The period around the 25th of September shows a jump in energy. Friday the 25th morning sees a 3ft ESE swell with a period of 8 seconds, and combined energy hitting 104 (moderate energy). The problem is a fresh, lumpy cross-onshore wind. That same afternoon, the swell bumps up to 6ft from the E at 9 seconds, with a combined energy of 665 (strong wave energy). The wind is strong onshore, making it messy. This is mostly interesting if you’ve got a kite – the strong onshore wind and messy conditions are better for that scene than a clean paddle wave.
Saturday the 26th shows similar conditions: a 3ft ESE swell in the morning (179 energy) and 6ft in the afternoon (893 energy) with onshore winds. It’s too big for beginners, and with the onshore chop, it’s really only for experts who don’t mind a beatdown. The period is around 10 seconds, which is decent, but the direction and wind kill the quality. There’s no standout big, clean day here, just a lot of blown-out or tiny surf.
The rest of the window into late September is more of the same: small, choppy, and mostly cross-onshore. The swell never lines up with the optimum ESE direction and the wind doesn’t cooperate.
Stay patient, check in closer to the 25th for updates if the wind shifts. This one’s a bummer.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 25mm), heaviest during Sun morning. Warm (max 25°C on Sun afternoon, min 16°C on Tue morning). Winds increasing (calm on Sun afternoon, fresh winds from the NNW by Mon morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Thu night. Warm (max 28°C on Thu afternoon, min 17°C on Wed morning). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 5 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | E 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 5 | ESE 5 | ESE 5 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | E 4 | ESE 12 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 10 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 54 | 18 | 19 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross | cross | cross-on | on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 9:31AM1.65m | 9:46PM1.49m | 10:14AM1.59m | 10:31PM1.39m | 10:58AM1.52m | 11:19PM1.29m | 11:45AM1.45m | 00:09AM1.21m | 12:33PM1.39m | 1:01AM1.15m | 1:23PM1.34m | 1:54AM1.12m | 2:15PM1.32m | 2:49AM1.11m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:40PM0.05m | 3:53AM0.05m | 4:22PM0.12m | 4:29AM0.15m | 5:03PM0.21m | 5:04AM0.26m | 5:47PM0.31m | 5:42AM0.36m | 6:39PM0.40m | 6:30AM0.45m | 7:45PM0.45m | 7:39AM0.51m | 8:53PM0.44m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — |
 | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:02 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — |
mm | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 23 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 24 | 22 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 28 | 25 | 20 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 |
Feels °C | 25 | 28 | 26 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 22 | 27 | 26 | 17 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 5 | ESE 5 | ESE 5 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 4 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | SE 7 | SE 12 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 |
| kJ | 10 | 13 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 18 | 19 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 5 | S 6 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 7 | E 8 | ESE 5 | SE 13 | SE 12 | ESE 7 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 9 | SE 12 | SE 11 |
| kJ | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | ESE 6 | SE 5 | — | SE 8 | — | — | E 14 | E 10 | E 13 | — | ESE 9 | SE 12 | — | SE 9 | SE 9 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | 2 | — | — | 4 | 2 | 4 | — | 8 | 6 | — | 3 | 3 | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | NNW 3 | NNW 3 | NNE 3 | E 6 | ESE 6 | — | — | SSE 2 | SSE 3 | SSW 3 | SSE 3 | — | E 3 | E 3 | E 4 | ESE 12 | SE 3 | S 4 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 8 | 4 | 4 | 16 | 12 | — | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | 3 | 9 | 54 | 4 | 12 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 18 | 5 | 11 | 680 | 848 | 423 | 911 | 911 | 699 | 983 | 1214 | 66 | 11 | 375 | 64 | 680 | 981 | 848 | 376 | 981 | 384 |
Best forecast wave conditions in New Jersey | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Sandy Hook/The Cove Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Sandy Hook/The Cove provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Sandy Hook/The Cove can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Sandy Hook/The Cove 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 (Sandy Hook/The Cove) 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 Sandy Hook/The Cove 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.
Sandy Hook/The Cove is 13 km (8 miles) from Long Branch. If you plan a vacation in New Jersey, look for hotels and other accommodation in Long Branch. Long Branch has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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