Surf Forecasts:
The Cove Cape May surf forecast from 28 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 12s period, SE swell with 259 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 1.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 29) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Cove Cape May over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty. Let me level with you about The Cove Cape May. It's a point break that’s a bit exposed to the southeast, and the guys who made the call on this one see it as a place for intermediates. But lookin' at the numbers stretched out over these sixteen days… it’s a real frustrating picture. We’ve got a long drought on any decent surf.
Right from the get-go on the morning of Friday the 28th, the swell is tiny. We’re talking 1ft from the ESE, with a period of only 8 seconds, and the water temp is a touch warmer than normal at 77°. The combined energy is only 42, which is weak. Glassy conditions that morning though, but the surf is just too poor.
Gap after gap, that’s the story. Through the weekend and into the first week of September, we’ve got the same sorry tale: height barely tickling 2ft, energy mostly in the weak zone (like 20 to 160), and the wind is either cross-on or making a mess. A lot of those afternoons, the wind is up around 30 km/h from the south or southeast, and even with a little bump in energy on Wednesday afternoon the 2nd (160), the waves are lumpy and just plain poor. It’s not even worth the paddle out.
Into the second week, the situation doesn’t improve much. By Sunday morning the 6th we see a bit of a shift with the swell coming from the east at 2ft, and a period tickin’ up to 9 seconds, but at 53 energy, it’s still weak, and the conditions are clean but tiny. Then Monday the 7th brings us the highest combined energy in the whole run at 122, coming from the east at 2ft with an 11-second period. But it’s cross-onshore and choppy, which spoils it entirely.
The best of a bad bunch is probably Thursday the 10th. We’ve got offshore wind from the NNE at 20 km/h, clean conditions, with a 1ft swell from the southeast at a 10-second period. The energy is a paltry 42. It’s glassy on the afternoon of the 10th, too, with the wind dropping off completely. But it’s just too small to get excited about. There’s no standout in this forecast. It’s a blank run that’s pretty normal for the area when it goes quiet like this.
We just have to sit tight. Forecasts can always change, but for now, I’d leave the board in the car.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Warm (max 26°C on Fri afternoon, min 20°C on Sat morning). Winds increasing (calm on Fri afternoon, fresh winds from the S by Sun afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Tue morning. Warm (max 25°C on Wed afternoon, min 22°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Tue morning, fresh winds from the SSE by Wed afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 4 | SSW 4 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 12 | SE 5 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 28 | 28 | 26 | 16 | 16 | 23 | 11 | 19 | 24 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 178 | 43 | 85 | 34 | 29 | 39 | 18 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | on | off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | off | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross | cross |
High Tide | 8:49AM1.44m | 9:03PM1.68m | 9:24AM1.51m | 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 | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:34PM0.10m | 3:04AM0.04m | 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 | ||||||||
 | |  |  | | | | |  |  | |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — |
 | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:27 | — |
mm | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 25 | 26 | 26 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 30 | 36 | 35 |
Feels °C | 28 | 29 | 29 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 31 | 36 | 35 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | S 4 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | S 5 |
| kJ | 28 | 28 | 26 | 16 | 16 | 23 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 73 | 43 | 39 | 34 | 29 | 39 | 7 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 6 | SSE 5 | S 5 | SSE 6 | S 6 | ENE 4 | ENE 5 | — | E 6 | SE 8 | SSW 5 | — | — | S 5 | SE 9 | E 5 | SE 10 | ESE 5 | ESE 5 | — | SE 8 |
| kJ | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 1 | 10 | 7 | — | — | 2 | 20 | 20 | 85 | 9 | 4 | — | 18 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | S 5 | E 9 | E 6 | E 9 | — | E 5 | — | SE 15 | SE 14 | — | — | SE 7 | — | S 4 | — | W 4 |
| kJ | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | — | 8 | 7 | — | — | 7 | — | 3 | — | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | ENE 4 | E 5 | — | S 3 | S 4 | SSW 4 | WNW 2 | S 4 | SE 4 | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | SE 12 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SSW 4 | WSW 2 | SW 3 | WNW 3 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 23 | 11 | — | 1 | 19 | 24 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 178 | 39 | 29 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 21 | 36 | 81 | 207 | 321 | 330 | 372 | 2480 | 70 | 296 | 38 | 1176 | 552 | 1234 | 124 | 242 | 1504 | 46 | 151 | 60 | 105 |
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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