The Cove Cape May Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the Cape May surf scene for the next couple of weeks.

I gotta be straight with you: this run of forecasts is a bit of a bummer. The whole 16-day window is marked as "poor surf conditions" across the board, so we’re facing a real doldrum period. The combined wave energy here is weak, barely cracking two digits (42 on the first morning), and it doesn't get much better. The swell is tiny, mostly around 1.0ft to 3ft, with a short, weak period of 4 to 9 seconds. That's windswell, not groundswell; it’s lacking any punch.

We’re looking at The Cove Cape May, a point break that can handle a SE swell. The problem is the swell direction is mostly SSE or S, which is a bit off its optimum. The wind is also a mess, often cross-onshore or directly onshore, which will chop up any rideable surface. There are a few brief windows of cleaner, offshore wind, but the swell is just too small to make anything of it.

For the first few days, from Tuesday, August 4th, through to the end of the first week, the most you’ll see is 2ft to 3ft of slop with onshore winds. It’s not going to be worth paddling out for. The water temperature anomaly isn't provided, so we'll just note it's what it is.

The second week, starting Monday, August 10th, looks even more flat. The swell drops to 1.0ft to 2ft. There's a moment on Wednesday, August 12th, with a gentle offshore wind from the NNE, and on Thursday, August 13th, with a moderate offshore from the NE, but the swell is a pathetic 2ft and 2ft. It’s clean, but there’s no wave energy to ride. The combined energy drops to 34 and 23, respectively. That’s not a surf, that’s a lake.

The standout, if you can call it one, is a tiny window on the morning of Thursday, August 13th. The wind is moderate offshore from the NE, keeping the surface clean, but the swell is only 2ft from the S. It’s a gamble for a few knee-high rollers. The break is "fairly consistent" but expect crowds to be "often" here, especially on a rare clean morning. The difficulty is intermediate, so a total beginner might find the lack of push frustrating.

There are no recommended options in the 16-day window. It’s one of those blank runs that can happen here. When the forecast is this poor, conditions can sometimes look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, but the wind is weak and variable, so even that’s a stretch.

Stay patient, folks. The forecasts can change, but for now, keep the board in the bag.

Rusty.

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