The Cove Cape May Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a proper paddle. I’ve been staring at the charts for The Cove Cape May and it’s a challenge to find a silver lining, but let’s walk through it.

First up, the water temp is sitting at a very unusual 79°, which is a solid 4° warmer than it should be for this time of year. That’s the one bright spot – you’ll be sweating in your wettie, not shivering.

The pattern for the next week is a bust. We’ve got a long stretch from Wednesday the 12th right through to Friday the 21st of August where the combined energy is just pathetic – mostly single-digit numbers (like 6 or 14) and the swell heights barely reach 2ft. The wind is a mixed bag of cross-off and cross-on, but none of it matters when there’s nothing to ride. Even with a glassy morning on Saturday the 15th, the swell is a measly 0.7ft. It’s a total write-off, a full ten days of waiting.

Now, we do get a little flicker of hope on Saturday the 22nd of August. That morning, a clean 3ft SSW swell shows up with a moderate offshore breeze from the NE. The combined energy is 73, which is still weak, but it’s the best we’ve seen. The period is a short 5 seconds, so it’ll be a bit choppy and weak, but it’s surfable. For a brief moment, the Cove could be worth a look if you’re desperate.

The real standout, and I mean the only one worth marking on the calendar, is Wednesday the 26th of August. That morning we’ve got a 5ft ENE swell with a combined energy of 208 – that’s moderate wave energy finally. The period is 7 seconds, so it’s a windswell, but it’s got some push. The problem is the wind is a cross-shore, not really offshore. The afternoon drops to 4ft and 157 energy. Still, for The Cove, a point break that’s fairly exposed to the swell, this is the biggest pulse of the whole run. The swell direction is ENE, which is a bit off its optimum SE direction, but it’s the only time we get any real size. Keep in mind, this is over a week away, so treat it as promising but not locked in. If it cleans up, it could be the only session worth having.

Other than that, the rest of the chart is flat or small. The 27th of August has a clean 3ft morning with a cross-off breeze, but the energy is back down to 75. It’s not going to get you excited.

Bottom line: for the next week and a half, don’t bother. The only real chance for a wave is that Wednesday the 26th, and even then, it’s a single day of moderate, not great, conditions. The rest is a bust. Hang loose, or take up kiting because the wind is the only thing with any consistency.

Rusty.

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