Surf Forecasts:
The Cove Cape May surf forecast from 29 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 2 Sep, 2PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 11s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 10s period, ESE swell with 109 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 2 Sep, 2PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 11s period with SE 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 Wednesday (Sep 02) at 2PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 5s. 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 0.8m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2PM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 2PM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove Cape May over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a good, hard look at what The Cove Cape May has to offer over the next couple of weeks. I've got to be straight with you—it's a pretty quiet picture for this spot.
Right from the get-go, there's not much to get excited about. We're staring down a long stretch of small, weak surf. The combined swell energy is mostly in the low double digits, barely scratching the 100 mark in the whole first week, so we're talking about very weak wave energy. The waves are tiny, generally around 1ft to 2ft, and the periods are short, mostly less than 10 seconds. That means weak, crumbly waves that won't offer much push.
The water temp is sitting at 76°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least a wetsuit isn't mandatory. But with conditions like this, it's hard to get the heart pumping. The mornings on Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd of September offer some clean looking conditions, but there's just no size to back it up. The 4th of September morning has a gentle offshore from the NNE, but again, we're looking at ankle-snappers at best. For a point break like this, we need some energy to wrap in, and it just isn't there.
The second week doesn't offer much hope either. There's a little spike on the morning of the 9th of September, with the combined energy jumping up to 330 and the swell height hitting 3ft from the SSE with a 12-second period. That looks more interesting, and the energy is moderate, but the wind is straight onshore from the SSW, which will chop it up real bad. That's a big letdown. The following Saturday the 12th sees a jump in size to 5ft from the ENE in the afternoon, but the period is a short 6 seconds and it's onshore. That's just a messy, lumpy shorebreak, and for a point break, that won't hold together at all.
Honestly, there's not a single standout session here. The consistent theme is "poor surf conditions" across the board. For a spot that's fairly consistent, this run of flatness is a bit of a bummer, but it happens. The only real note is that stretch around the 9th, which has the makings of a decent swell, but the wind kills it. Keep your eyes on the forecasts, though; it tends not to stay this poor for long around here.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 26°C on Sun afternoon, min 22°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 34mm), heaviest during Thu night. Warm (max 32°C on Tue afternoon, min 22°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | ||||||||||||||
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 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 3 | S 4 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SSE 12 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 6 | SE 8 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
16 | 17 | 18 | 8 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 98 | 75 | 49 | 32 | 29 | 38 | 11 | 23 | 8 | 10 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | on | cross-on | on | off | glassy | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-off | on | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on |
High Tide | 9:38PM1.65m | 10:00AM1.57m | 10:15PM1.59m | 10:38AM1.61m | 10:55PM1.51m | 11:21AM1.64m | 11:39PM1.41m | 12:09PM1.64m | 00:30AM1.31m | 1:06PM1.63m | 1:33AM1.23m | 2:13PM1.62m | 2:49AM1.18m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:15PM0.09m | 3:38AM0.02m | 3:57PM0.09m | 4:14AM0.03m | 4:43PM0.12m | 4:52AM0.05m | 5:33PM0.16m | 5:35AM0.08m | 6:30PM0.21m | 6:26AM0.13m | 7:35PM0.25m | 7:26AM0.18m | 8:47PM0.26m | |||||||
— | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | |
7:35 | — | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:25 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 8 | — | 1 | 24 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 23 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 32 | 32 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 24 |
Feels °C | 23 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 32 | 32 | 24 | 25 | 22 | 28 | 31 | 27 | 25 | 27 | 25 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 4 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | S 4 | SSE 4 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SSE 12 | SE 11 | SE 10 | E 6 | E 6 | SE 9 | SSE 4 | ESE 8 | SSE 6 | SE 8 |
4 | 17 | 18 | 7 | 19 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 98 | 75 | 49 | 19 | 12 | 38 | 7 | 23 | 8 | 10 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | E 6 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 4 | — | — | SE 8 | S 4 | S 5 | ENE 4 | SE 10 | SE 9 | E 6 | E 7 | SSE 6 | E 6 | E 6 |
16 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 4 | — | — | 3 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 32 | 29 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 3 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | E 6 | E 5 | — | — | — | SE 15 | SE 14 | — | — | S 5 | S 5 | S 3 | — | SE 8 | — | ESE 8 | S 6 |
2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 8 | 7 | — | — | 5 | 4 | 1 | — | 11 | — | 6 | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | S 3 | — | — | — | S 4 | SSW 3 | S 4 | — | ENE 4 | — | — | S 5 | SSW 2 | WNW 3 | NW 3 | WNW 3 | — |
— | — | — | 8 | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 4 | — | 5 | — | — | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 344 | 330 | 321 | 164 | 234 | 372 | 1008 | 603 | 409 | 81 | 18 | 242 | 294 | 1 | 36 | 157 | 102 | 372 | 175 | 296 |
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.











