The Cove Cape May Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, and I gotta be straight with you – this is a tough one to write. We’re looking at the next 16 days for The Cove Cape May, and honestly, the surf forecast is about as flat as a summer pond. We’ve got a whole lot of nothing on the horizon.

The first solid recommendation doesn't appear until the very end of the run, and even then it’s a stretch. The first half of the outlook is a total washout. From today, July 12th, right through to July 23rd, it’s a grim run of tiny, weak surf with constant cross-shore or onshore winds. The swell is barely a ripple, with the combined energy sitting in the weak zone (mostly under 55). The wind is messing everything up, and the wave comment is consistently "poor surf conditions." It’s a complete blank for paddle surfing.

There is a brief flicker of hope on the morning of Friday, July 17th. We get a "clean" reading with a NNW cross-offshore breeze, but the swell is a pathetic 1.0 ft from the SSE. You’d be bobbing around on a lake. Not worth a trip.

The only real standout, and I mean the only one worth mentioning, comes on Monday, July 20th, in the afternoon. The swell bumps up to 5 ft from the south with a period of 6 seconds. The combined energy hits 147 (moderate), which is the only real energy we see. But here’s the kicker – the wind is a cross-onshore S at 12 mph, making it choppy. The wave comment is still "poor surf conditions." The swell is getting big enough to be interesting, but that wind is going to turn it into a messy, lumpy wall. For a point break like The Cove, that’s a real shame. It's an intermediate-level spot, and with the swell direction coming from the south (hitting that optimum SE window), it *should* be pumping. But the wind is the spoiler. This setup actually looks more promising for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer, just because of the wind and chop.

The water temp is sitting at 73°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so at least you won't freeze waiting for a set.

After that brief pulse on the 20th, the energy drops straight back into the weak zone for the rest of the run. The 21st sees another 5 ft swell, but again, with a cross-onshore wind and moderate energy (124), it's just not clean. The final week is a sad tale of tiny swell and messy wind.

So, bottom line: there are no good options for paddle surfing in this 16-day window. For a spot that can be fairly consistent, this is a real bummer, but it happens. Forecasts can change, but right now, I’d leave the board at home and go for a swim.

Rusty.

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