Short Sands Surf Break

Lat Long: 43.18° N 70.61° W

Short Sands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 pm 22 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Short Sands sea temperature is
16.7°C
1.0° 

Short Sands surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Short Sands surf forecast from 22 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 29 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 9s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Saturday 26 Sep, 2PM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 12s period, ENE swell with 6,413 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 29 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 9s period with E swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Short Sands this week:

The surf forecast for Short Sands over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 29) at 5PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 9s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Short Sands in the next 16 days are 5.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 26) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.2m 12s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 26) at 11AM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 5PM (Tue 29th Sep)4.5ft (1.3m) 9s
Best Surf 5PM (Tue 29th Sep)4.5ft (1.3m) 9s
Most Powerful 2PM (Sat 26th Sep)16ft (5.0m) 12s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Short Sands over the next 16 days.


Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Tue afternoon, min 9°C on Thu morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the E on Tue night, fresh winds from the NNE by Fri morning).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 61mm), heaviest during Sat night. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri afternoon, min 12°C on Sat morning). Mainly strong winds.

Tue
22
Wednesday
23
Thursday
24
Friday
25
Saturday
26
Sunday
27
Monday
28
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.3
E
7
1.2
E
7
1.4
E
7
1.7
ESE
8
1.6
ESE
8
1.8
ESE
9
2
ESE
10
1.7
ESE
10
2.4
ESE
11
3
E
12
3.5
E
11
4
E
11
5
ENE
11
3.5
E
11
2.5
E
10
2.5
ENE
9
2.5
ENE
9
2.3
ENE
9
1.8
E
9
1.7
E
9
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
157
138
171
310
361
586
746
539
1511
2816
3113
3886
5891
2701
1267
1177
1073
808
528
476
Wind (km/h)
15
E
15
NNE
25
NE
20
E
15
NNE
25
NE
20
ENE
20
NNE
30
NNE
25
NE
30
NNE
40
N
40
N
40
NNE
40
NNE
40
NNE
35
NNE
30
N
25
NNE
20
N
Wind State
cross-on
on
on
cross-on
on
on
on
cross-on
on
on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
High Tide
8:59PM2.61m
9:35AM2.43m
9:44PM2.71m
10:14AM2.56m
10:25PM2.79m
10:51AM2.70m
11:05PM2.85m
11:26AM2.84m
11:45PM2.89m
12:02PM2.96m
00:26AM2.90m
12:40PM3.05m
1:09AM2.87m
Low Tide
2:48PM0.56m
3:28AM0.30m
3:35PM0.42m
4:07AM0.20m
4:17PM0.27m
4:43AM0.11m
4:58PM0.12m
5:19AM0.03m
5:38PM-0.02m
5:56AM-0.02m
6:20PM-0.13m
6:35AM-0.04m
7:02PM-0.20m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
light rain
light rain
mod rain
heavy rain
light rain
light rain
mod rain
cloud
cloud
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:30
6:31
6:31
6:33
6:33
6:35
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:39
6:37
6:37
6:35
6:32
6:30
6:29
 mm
1
1
8
37
1
3
10
Temp °C
14
14
12
13
13
12
13
13
14
16
16
13
12
13
13
13
13
12
14
13
Feels °C
9
11
7
8
10
7
8
10
7
10
10
5
5
5
6
7
7
6
9
8
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Short Sands:

join our community of surf reporters

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 Short Sands 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 Short Sands Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Short Sands provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Short Sands can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Short Sands 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 (Short Sands) 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 Short Sands 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.

Short Sands is 17 km (11 miles) from Portsmouth. If you plan a vacation in Maine, look for hotels and other accommodation in Portsmouth. Portsmouth has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

Nearest locationNearest