
Surf Forecasts:
The Cove Cape May surf forecast from 25 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 7s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 30 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 10s period, SE swell with 96 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 25 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 7s period with ESE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Cove Cape May this week:
The surf forecast for The Cove Cape May over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 5PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Cove Cape May in the next 16 days are 0.7m 10s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 30) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 30) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 5PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Thu 30th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove Cape May over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s happening with your local surf.
To be straight with you, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty quiet for The Cove Cape May. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak swell and mostly tricky winds, so you’ll need to keep your expectations in check. There’s no real standout session that’s going to blow you away, but there are a few windows where a longboard or a foamie might get you a few fun little rides if you’re patient.
Right now, through this weekend and into next week, the swell is tiny. We’re talking knee-high at best, with swell heights hanging around 1 ft to 2 ft from the southeast and east-southeast. The period is short, around 7 to 8 seconds, so there’s no real push or power behind it. The combined wave energy is very low, mostly between 19 and 55 (weak energy). Winds are mostly cross-off or cross, which keeps the surface reasonably clean, but with so little swell, it’s hard to get excited. Saturday morning, July 25th, is about as good as it gets early on, with some clouds and a light 9 mph cross-off breeze from the ENE, but the swell is only 1 ft. It’s surfable if you’re desperate, but very ordinary.
Sunday and Monday are more of the same, with poor surf conditions and the wind swinging more onshore, especially by Monday afternoon with a 12 mph SSE breeze chopping things up. Tuesday sees a morning window with light SE cross-shore wind and 1 ft swell, but there’s a risk of thunderstorms later. The water temperature is sitting around 76°F, which is about average for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a wetsuit.
The middle of next week, around Wednesday July 29th, the swell bumps up just a touch to 2 ft from the SE, and we get a clean morning with a 9 mph N cross-off wind. It’s still small, but that’s probably the cleanest conditions in the first week. The combined energy is still weak at 54. Thursday July 30th morning is also clean with a light 6 mph N breeze and 2 ft swell, but again, very marginal. The period stretches to 9 seconds on Thursday afternoon, and the energy hits 100 (moderate), but the wind goes cross-shore from the SE, so it’s not a game-changer.
Then we hit a real flat spot from Friday July 31st right through to Tuesday August 4th. The swell drops to 0.7 ft to 2 ft, and the wind is mostly onshore or cross-on, often moderate to fresh, with gusts up to 16 mph. Sunday August 2nd is particularly ugly with onshore wind from the S at 16 mph and 3 ft of messy, short-period swell. The combined energy stays weak, between 11 and 97. This is not the time to be in the water unless you’re after a really frustrating paddle.
Now, there is a tiny glimmer of hope on Monday August 3rd. The morning shows 3 ft of swell from the SSE with a 9-second period, and the wind is cross-off from the ENE at 9 mph. The combined energy jumps to 157 (moderate), which is the best reading in the whole forecast. The waves are described as surfable but very ordinary, so don’t expect magic, but it’s the closest thing to a session worth checking. The swell direction is SSE, which is not quite the optimum SE, but it’s close enough. Still, 3 ft is small, and it’s only a score of 1 out of 10, so keep the enthusiasm in check. That’s the pick of a very lean period, but only for the dedicated.
After that, the swell drops back down again for the rest of the second week. From Tuesday August 4th through to Sunday August 9th, we’re back to 1 ft to 2 ft of short-period, weak swell, with combined energy mostly well under 100. Winds are all over the place, from onshore to cross-on, with occasional clean windows. Friday August 7th morning sees a 2 ft swell with a light offshore breeze from the NNE at 6 mph, which will be clean, but again, tiny. Saturday August 8th morning has a 12 mph cross-off from the E and 1 ft swell, clean but tiny.
To sum it up: this is a flat, quiet outlook for The Cove Cape May. There are no big swells, no long-period groundswells, and no sessions that will have you calling in sick for work. Monday August 3rd morning is the best bet if you’re itching for a paddle on a longboard, but honestly, you’re not missing much. The rest of the time, the surf is poor to non-existent. Hang tight, check back later, and hopefully the forecasts will improve.
Stay patient,
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Warm (max 23°C on Sun afternoon, min 19°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 25°C on Tue afternoon, min 21°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | 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 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 6 | SE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
19 | 38 | 44 | 49 | 48 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 43 | 51 | 47 | 19 | 46 | 49 | 70 | 39 | 50 | 12 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | on | cross-off | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 6:12PM1.51m | 6:35AM1.09m | 6:57PM1.56m | 7:21AM1.13m | 7:39PM1.62m | 8:03AM1.18m | 8:19PM1.65m | 8:43AM1.23m | 8:57PM1.67m | 9:20AM1.27m | 9:32PM1.66m | 9:56AM1.31m | 10:07PM1.64m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:24AM0.28m | 00:32AM0.25m | 12:11PM0.25m | 1:16AM0.21m | 12:55PM0.21m | 1:57AM0.16m | 1:37PM0.18m | 2:34AM0.12m | 2:17PM0.15m | 3:09AM0.09m | 2:56PM0.14m | 3:43AM0.07m | 3:36PM0.14m | 4:16AM0.06m | |||||||
5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | |
— | 8:16 | — | — | 8:16 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:13 | — | — | 8:12 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | — | 5 | 6 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 25 | 24 |
Feels °C | 20 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 22 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 25 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 6 | SE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | ENE 6 | SSE 8 |
19 | 38 | 44 | 49 | 48 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 43 | 51 | 47 | 19 | 46 | 49 | 70 | 39 | 8 | 12 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 6 | E 6 | — | — | E 5 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | SE 8 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 6 | E 9 | E 6 |
— | 17 | 15 | — | — | 14 | 10 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 9 | 24 | 15 | 8 | 2 | 3 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | — | SE 10 | — | — | ESE 9 | SE 9 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 27 | — | — | 9 | 3 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 6 | — | — | ENE 6 | ENE 5 | — | — | SSE 2 | S 4 | SSE 4 | S 4 | — | NW 3 | NW 3 | NNE 3 | NE 6 | — | — | — | SSE 8 | S 4 |
15 | — | — | 20 | 20 | — | — | 1 | 14 | 9 | 14 | — | 5 | 2 | 3 | 33 | — | — | — | 50 | 7 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 234 | 0 | 0 | 214 | 1390 | 21 | 1150 | 1505 | 151 | 118 | 36 | 60 | 1 | 118 | 37 | 0 | 371 | 21 | 7 | 380 | 81 |
Best forecast wave conditions in New Jersey | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the The Cove Cape May Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for The Cove Cape May provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The Cove Cape May can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Cove Cape May 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 (The Cove Cape May) 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 The Cove Cape May 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.
The Cove Cape May is 50 km (31 miles) from Ocean City. If you plan a vacation in New Jersey, look for hotels and other accommodation in Ocean City. Ocean City has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










