The Cove Cape May Surf Break

Lat Long: 38.93° N 74.94° W

The Cove Cape May Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 am 06 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's The Cove Cape May sea temperature is
24.0° C
0.4° 

The Cove Cape May surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


The Cove Cape May surf forecast from 6 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 8 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 5s period, S swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 9 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 6s period, S swell with 100 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 8 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 5s period with S 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 (Aug 08) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 5s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.1m and 9s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at The Cove Cape May in the next 16 days are 1.1m 6s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 11PM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 2AM (Sat 8th Aug)3ft (0.9m) 5s
Best Surf 2AM (Sat 8th Aug)3ft (0.9m) 5s
Most Powerful 2AM (Sun 9th Aug)3.5ft (1.1m) 6s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove Cape May over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you. Looking at the next couple of weeks, the surf scene is pretty flat. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing, then a little bump of energy right at the end that might just get the heart beating again, but it’s going to be a wait.

The first week and a half are a total write-off. From Thursday the 6th through to around Tuesday the 19th of August, we are looking at tiny, weak surf. Swell heights are barely pushing 2ft at best, with periods mostly under 7 seconds. That’s just wind chop and leftover slop, not real waves. The energy in the water is weak too, mostly in the single digits and 30s and 40s in the combined energy brackets. You’d be fighting for a dribble. Water temp at The Cove Cape May is 75°, which is about normal for this time of year, so at least it’s warm enough for a swim.

The wind is mostly cross-onshore, chopping up what little there is. Even the few cleaner windows, like Wednesday morning the 12th, have almost no swell to offer. Honestly, for a point break, this is as dead as I’ve seen it. If you’re a kite surfer, you might get a session in with that cross-off wind over the weekend, but for a paddle surfer, there’s nothing.

Now, the one glimmer of hope. The forecast for Thursday the 20th of August shows a bump. The swell height climbs to 4ft in the morning and 4ft in the afternoon. The period is still short, around 5 seconds, so it’s not going to be a thing of beauty, but the combined energy jumps to 69 and then 120. That's moderate wave energy, a real change from the weak stuff. It’s coming from the S, which is not the optimum SE direction for The Cove, but it will put some life back in the water.

However, the wind is cross-on from the WSW, so it won’t be perfect. It’ll be a bumpy, crumbly mess at The Cove Cape May, but there will be something to ride. It’s the only time in the whole 16-day window where you’ll get more than a metre of swell, so if you’re desperate, that’s your window. It’s still a far cry from classic, but it’s better than nothing. The Thursday the 21st looks like it will back off again, with a glassy morning but the swell dropping back to 2ft.

So, the long and short of it is, the next week and a half are a wash. Keep the board in the car, but don’t get your hopes up. The action, if you can call it that, is a distant, second-week promise on the 20th. It's a long-range call, so it's not set in stone, but it's the only one on the board.

Stay patient.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Fri night. Warm (max 31°C on Thu afternoon, min 23°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Thu night, calm by Fri night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Mon afternoon. Warm (max 31°C on Sun night, min 23°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light.

Thursday
6
Friday
7
Saturday
8
Sunday
9
Monday
10
Tuesday
11
Wednesday
12
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.6
S
6
1
S
5
1.1
S
6
0.7
S
6
0.9
S
4
0.9
S
5
0.6
S
6
0.7
S
6
1.1
S
6
0.6
SSE
7
0.5
S
6
0.8
S
5
0.4
SSE
6
0.4
SSE
6
0.3
SSE
6
0.2
SSE
6
0.4
SSE
6
0.3
SSE
6
0.3
SSE
6
0.4
SSE
6
0.5
S
4
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
22
42
74
31
27
46
26
36
100
34
21
37
11
11
7
3
12
6
6
11
7
Wind (km/h)
15
SSW
20
S
20
SSW
10
SW
20
S
0
SE
20
WSW
15
SW
15
WSW
10
WSW
15
S
15
SW
15
SSE
20
SSE
15
W
10
WSW
20
S
15
W
20
WNW
20
NW
10
NNW
Wind State
on
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross-on
glassy
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
2:30PM1.56m
2:53AM1.19m
3:38PM1.61m
4:09AM1.18m
4:48PM1.68m
5:22AM1.22m
5:54PM1.76m
6:27AM1.30m
6:53PM1.84m
7:25AM1.39m
7:47PM1.89m
8:18AM1.48m
8:38PM1.90m
Low Tide
8:57PM0.26m
8:47AM0.12m
10:08PM0.22m
9:55AM0.11m
11:16PM0.15m
11:02AM0.07m
00:17AM0.07m
12:06PM0.01m
1:13AM-0.02m
1:05PM-0.05m
2:04AM-0.08m
2:00PM-0.09m
2:51AM-0.12m
clear
clear
clear
rain showers
thunderstorm
rain showers
clear
rain showers
thunderstorm
clear
clear
clear
clear
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
clear
clear
thunderstorm
part cloud
part cloud
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:03
6:05
6:05
6:07
6:07
6:09
6:09
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:06
8:04
8:02
8:01
8:00
8:00
7:58
 mm
1
2
5
1
1
1
1
1
Temp °C
28
31
28
28
31
29
26
31
30
25
30
31
27
28
30
26
29
26
25
27
27
Feels °C
30
31
27
31
32
28
28
32
31
27
31
31
29
30
30
27
31
28
25
26
26
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for The Cove Cape May:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our The Cove Cape May surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


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.

Nearest locationNearest