The Cove Cape May Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's get into it. Looking at The Cove Cape May, this whole 16-day stretch is a pretty dead spell. Nothing is getting the stoke going. The pattern is a long, flat lull with only the tiniest pulses of energy. There's a big gap at the start with zero surfable waves, running a full week from now through the end of August. Then we get a little blip in early September, but it's nothing to write home about.

The only spot on the board is The Cove Cape May (Cape May), a point break that's fairly consistent but the ocean just isn't sending us anything. The water is sitting at 77°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year.

Right now through the end of August, don't even bother looking at the ocean. Swell heights are stuck around 1 foot to 1 feet from the SE, with the wave energy weak—under 50 for most of it, and the best we see is 107 on Thursday afternoon (27 August) when it bumps to 2 feet, but that comes with a risk of t-storms and onshore wind. The quality is just poor. There's a flash on Saturday morning (29 August) with clean offshore wind and glassy conditions, but the swell is still only 1 feet from the SE with an 8-second period, so it's tiny and weak. That's the cleanest it gets, but it's not surf.

Moving into early September, there's a small change on Tuesday morning (1 September). The swell is still only 1 foot, but the period jumps to 15 seconds, giving it that groundswell feel. The combined energy is 56 (moderate), wind is light and cross-offshore, so it's clean. For a longboard, you might find a tiny roll, but it's not a proper wave.

Later in the week, the wind stays clean—offshore or cross-off—through the 2nd, 3rd, and into the morning of the 5th of September, but the swell never gets above 1 feet to 2 feet with periods between 10 and 12 seconds. The Saturday (5 September) morning has a bit more size at 2 feet from the ESE, and the combined energy hits 106 (moderate), which is about the most energy we see all forecast. It's clean under offshore wind. Still, these aren't waves that will get you out of bed early.

By the second week, it gets even quieter. The 6th of September has a bump to 4 feet from the S, but that's short period (6 seconds) and still gets a "poor" call. Then it all fades back to 0.7 feet and 1 foot. There is no standout day here. The best on offer is honestly a toss-up between Saturday morning (29 August) for pure glass, or Saturday morning (5 September) for the most energy (106) and a clean offshore wind. But even then, it's tiny. The 4 feet on Sunday (6 September) is the largest but with a 6-second period and cross-on wind, it's going to be a messy, slopey closeout. For such small waves, this setup isn't doing much for a paddle surfer; with the stronger onshore winds on the bigger days, it looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The truth is, with no recommendations to cheer about, this is just a poor run. Cape May can go flat like this, and this is one of those stretches. Keep an eye on it, forecasts can change, but as it stands, leave the board in the car.

- Rusty

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