Surf Forecasts:
The Cove Cape May surf forecast from 5 Sep 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 9 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 5s period, S swell with 110 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Cove Cape May this week:
The most powerful waves expected at The Cove Cape May in the next 16 days are 1.4m 5s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 09) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 06) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Wed 9th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 5s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove Cape May over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s break down what’s on the table for The Cove Cape May. Plain and simple, the first couple weeks are a bust. For almost two weeks, the surf is tiny. Water temp is about 77°, which is way warmer than usual for this time of year – feels like a bath, but no waves to ride.
Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th September – you’re looking at ankle-biters around 0.7 ft, with some offshore wind on Sunday morning that’d keep it clean, but there’s just no push. That flat spell drags on all the way to about Tuesday 15th. You get a blip to about 3 ft on Wednesday 9th morning, but with onshore wind and a short 4-second period, it’s junk. Combined wave energy sits between 26 and 47 – weak stuff.
There’s a moment of glass on Tuesday 8th afternoon – still only 0.7 ft. Not enough to surf.
Then, finally, on Thursday 17th September, we see something real. A solid east swell pushes in around 7 ft to 8 ft, with an 8-9 second period. The combined energy jumps to 639-769 (moderate to strong). That’s a big change. Thursday afternoon and Friday 18th morning look the best – cross-offshore wind and clean waves. But at that size, it’s for experts only. Over 8 ft at times, and powerful. Friday afternoon stays clean but drops to about 7 ft.
After that, it fades fast. Saturday 19th is back to 4-5 ft with onshore wind – messy. Sunday 20th morning has a little 2 ft cleanup with offshore wind, but it’s weak.
The only real standout is Thursday 17th through Friday 18th September – that’s your best shot. The Cove is a point break, fairly open to east-southeast swell, so it should handle the size, but expect crowds – it’s often busy. For the rest of the 16 days, there’s a long, dry run of nothing.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 26°C on Sat afternoon, min 20°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 30°C on Thu afternoon, min 21°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (calm on Tue afternoon, strong winds from the SSW by Wed night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | ||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 8 | E 6 | E 7 | SE 9 | E 6 | E 7 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | S 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 4 | S 6 | S 6 | S 7 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 6 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 26 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 42 | 106 | 40 | 27 | 31 | 24 | 7 | 4 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | on | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | on | on | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 3:27PM1.62m | 4:08AM1.20m | 4:40PM1.67m | 5:19AM1.28m | 5:45PM1.73m | 6:20AM1.39m | 6:41PM1.78m | 7:13AM1.50m | 7:32PM1.81m | 8:01AM1.60m | 8:18PM1.80m | 8:46AM1.67m | 9:02PM1.75m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:59PM0.23m | 9:48AM0.19m | 11:06PM0.17m | 10:57AM0.13m | 00:03AM0.09m | 12:00PM0.06m | 00:55AM0.01m | 12:57PM-0.00m | 1:41AM-0.05m | 1:49PM-0.04m | 2:25AM-0.07m | 2:38PM-0.05m | 3:06AM-0.05m | |||||||
 |  | |  |  | | | | | |  |  | | | | |  | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — |
 | 7:23 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:21 | — | — | 7:19 | — | — | 7:17 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:15 | — |
mm | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 25 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 30 | 24 | 22 | 25 | 23 |
Feels °C | 24 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 25 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 19 | 24 | 29 | 27 | 20 | 21 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | E 6 | E 7 | SE 9 | E 6 | E 7 | E 4 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | S 6 | S 6 | S 7 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 |
| kJ | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 26 | 14 | 3 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 27 | 31 | 24 | 7 | 4 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | S 6 | SE 9 | S 5 | SE 9 | E 10 | E 10 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ESE 9 | SE 8 | ENE 4 | SE 10 | S 6 |
| kJ | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | SE 8 | S 6 | — | E 11 | SE 9 | SE 8 | S 5 | SE 4 | — | — | SE 10 | — | — | — | E 8 | E 8 | SE 10 | — | SE 9 |
| kJ | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NNW 3 | — | ENE 5 | — | — | — | WSW 3 | WNW 3 | — | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | S 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 4 | W 3 | NW 3 | NNW 2 | NNW 2 | NE 4 |
| kJ | — | 1 | — | 42 | — | — | — | 7 | 2 | — | 11 | 18 | 42 | 106 | 40 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2393 | 497 | 229 | 296 | 98 | 38 | 164 | 60 | 81 | 3079 | 247 | 321 | 727 | 1125 | 21 | 125 | 36 | 38 | 105 | 396 |
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.
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