Surf Forecasts:
Sandy Hook/The Cove surf forecast from 29 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 3 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 6s period, SE swell with 108 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 1.3m 6s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 03) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 30) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Sandy Hook/The Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what’s coming down the pipe for Sandy Hook/The Cove over the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you. The forecast is pretty quiet. There isn't a single stand-out session in the entire 16 days. The waves are small and weak, and conditions rarely line up for anything worth paddling out for. It’s a long, flat stretch ahead.
We kick off on Saturday, 29 August with tiny swell. The morning has a 1ft from the SE with a short 8-second period, and a cross-onshore breeze from the NNE at 9 mph making it a bit messy. Combined energy is weak at just 18. The afternoon isn't any better – same swell size but the wind swings onshore from the SE, still 9 mph, leaving it choppy at 30 energy.
Sunday the 30th sees the swell drop to 1.0ft, but the wind turns to a cross-offshore from the SW in the morning, cleaning it up nicely. Still, there's hardly any energy pushing in (13). The afternoon gets a clean, 0.7ft wave with a gentle offshore from the W at 9 mph – glassy-looking, but you’re just floating out there.
Monday the 31st has a 1ft swell with a super-short 5-second period – no push at all. Light winds from the NNW in the morning keep it small and ripply. The afternoon turns offshore from the WSW, clean but tiny at 1.0ft.
Tuesday, 01 September, you've got a 0.7ft wave from the ESE in the morning with light wind. Then the afternoon gets ugly – a 0.3ft wave with a 12 mph cross-onshore from the SE, just full-on chop.
Wednesday the 2nd is the most interesting day in week one. We see the swell bump up to 2ft from the SE with a period of 11 seconds – that’s a bit more energy (75). The morning is clean with a cross-offshore from the SSE at 16 mph. In the afternoon the wind picks up to 19 mph going cross-shore, and the energy hits 107 – moderate. It'll be lumpy and tough. This is for committed locals only, looking for a challenge.
Thursday the 3rd has a 2ft swell in the morning from the SE, but with a 6-second period it’ll be weak and crumbly. Winds are clean cross-offshore from the W at 12 mph. Friday and Saturday are back to tiny stuff under 1ft, small clean waves but nothing doing.
We roll into the second week with small surf and a lot of clean, glassy-looking conditions, but still no size. There’s a note on the 7th of September – the afternoon has a glassy 2ft wave from the SE with no wind at all. That’d be pretty to look at but it's just ankle-slappers.
The biggest pulse comes on the 9th of September – we see a 3ft swell from the SE with a 12-second period in the afternoon – that brings strong energy at 357. But the wind is screaming from the SSE at 22 mph, making it an absolute mess. This is not a surf day – that kind of wind and a beach-and-reef setup will be more interesting for kite surfers than paddle surfers.
For the rest of the run, it's cleaned up by offshore winds but the swell sits around 0.7ft to 2ft – not enough to surf. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, nothing wild.
Honestly, there is no best on offer here. It's a dry spell, plain and simple. A few clean windows, but nothing with any power. Sometimes the ocean just takes a nap.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Sun night. Warm (max 28°C on Sun afternoon, min 19°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 31mm), heaviest during Wed night. Warm (max 32°C on Thu afternoon, min 22°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Tue morning, fresh winds from the S by Wed night). | ||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | ||||||||||||||
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 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 5 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | SE 3 | SE 8 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
16 | 15 | 21 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 15 | 75 | 64 | 44 | 35 | 24 | 14 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | off | off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:19PM1.58m | 8:42AM1.49m | 8:55PM1.55m | 9:17AM1.53m | 9:33PM1.51m | 9:57AM1.55m | 10:17PM1.44m | 10:42AM1.57m | 11:09PM1.37m | 11:35AM1.56m | 00:07AM1.30m | 12:34PM1.55m | 1:09AM1.25m | ||||||
Low Tide | 2:39AM0.02m | 2:54PM0.12m | 3:14AM0.02m | 3:35PM0.12m | 3:49AM0.02m | 4:17PM0.13m | 4:24AM0.05m | 5:02PM0.18m | 5:03AM0.10m | 5:54PM0.24m | 5:49AM0.17m | 7:02PM0.30m | |||||||
— | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | |
7:34 | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:25 | — | — | 7:24 | — | |
mm | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 15 | — | — | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 16 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 27 | 21 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 28 | 27 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 29 | 32 | 28 |
Feels °C | 26 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 27 | 29 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 29 | 29 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 5 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 |
16 | 15 | 21 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 75 | 64 | 15 | 35 | 24 | 14 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 5 | — | E 5 | — | E 6 | — | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | — | — | — | SE 8 | — | — | — | SE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 8 |
1 | — | 2 | — | 1 | — | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | 11 | — | — | — | 3 | 8 | 3 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 10 | SSE 6 | S 6 | S 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | 2 | 7 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 3 | NNE 3 | — | SSE 3 | — | SSE 4 | — | E 3 | E 3 | — | SE 3 | SE 3 | SE 4 | — | SE 6 | SE 6 | — | WNW 3 | NNW 3 |
1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | 8 | — | 3 | 1 | — | 1 | 7 | 15 | — | 43 | 44 | — | 1 | 2 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 23 | 36 | 551 | 168 | 502 | 5 | 21 | 168 | 983 | 983 | 551 | 172 | 229 | 426 | 2578 | 431 | 5 | 11 | 11 |
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.











