The Cove Cape May Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee and let’s have a look at what’s on offer for our little corner of the coast. To be totally honest, the next two weeks are looking pretty quiet. There’s a big stretch of nothing much at all, so don’t get your hopes up too early. That said, there is a little window of something, but you’ll need some patience.

The forecast period kicks off on Monday 24 August and, straight up, we’ve got a long run of poor surf. The Cove Cape May is looking flat with tiny, weak waves and mostly messy winds. The combined swell energy is barely registering, with numbers like 29 (weak energy) on Monday morning, and just 20 in the afternoon. That’s small stuff. This quiet spell runs right through until the end of August, with no real surf to speak of. There’s a bit of a gap there where it’s just not worth paddling out.

We do get a flicker of life on Tuesday 1 September. The morning brings a clean offshore breeze from the NNE at 9 mph, and the swell is a tiny 2 ft from the SE with a period of 15 seconds. That’s a long period groundswell, which means there’s some energy in the water – the combined energy reading is 108 (moderate). The waves will be small, but clean and sorted. The Cove is a point break, so a longer period swell like this should wrap in nicely. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

Wednesday 2 September morning is the pick of the whole run. Glassy conditions with a light offshore from the NE, still holding that 2 ft SE swell, now with a 14 second period. The combined energy steps up to 147 (moderate). It’s still small, but clean and consistent. The Cove is a fairly exposed point, so it picks up a bit of swell, and the offshore wind will make it tidy. Crowds are often a factor here, so expect a few locals out, but for the size on offer, it won’t be too hectic.

The rest of the first week of September is a mixed bag. Thursday 3 September morning sees a jump in swell size to 4 ft from the SE with a 15 second period and a strong offshore cross-off wind from the NNW at 28 mph. The combined energy hits 510 (strong wave energy), but those winds are pretty strong, so it’ll be blown out and messy. By the afternoon, the wind drops to 12 mph, still cross-off, and the swell eases to 3 ft, energy at 379 (strong). It’s still marginal, but there’s some power there.

After that, it fades again. Friday 4 September and Saturday 5 September bring small, weak swell with onshore winds, and then Sunday 6 September is a write-off with strong southerly winds and stormy conditions. The week after that into 8 September is just more of the same – tiny, weak, and messy.

So, if you’re hanging for a wave, Wednesday 2 September morning is the standout. It’s small, clean, and the point break should handle the long period swell well. Otherwise, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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