
Surf Forecasts:
The Inlet and Pier surf forecast from 30 Jul 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Monday 3 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 7s period, SE swell with 41 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Inlet and Pier this week:
The most powerful waves expected at The Inlet and Pier in the next 16 days are 0.6m 7s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 03) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 7s period and expected on Monday (Aug 03) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Mon 3rd Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Inlet and Pier over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on the menu for the next couple of weeks.
Straight up, I’m looking at a long, quiet stretch ahead. The Inlet and Pier is the only spot on the radar, and honestly, it’s not looking good for the paddle. We’ve got a solid 16-day window but the first real chance of anything rideable is a long way off, so don’t get your hopes up too early.
The pattern starts with Thursday afternoon, 30th July. There’s a tiny 2ft swell from the SE, but it’s rocking a short 8-second period. The wind is a cross-off from the NNW, so the surface is clean, but the wave energy is barely a whisper at 33. It’s not worth suiting up for. The water’s a warm 76°, which is pretty much dead average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
Friday morning, 31st July, is glassy with a 1ft NE swell and a super short 5-second period. Energy is almost non-existent at 7. It’s pretty, but there’s nothing to ride. The rest of that weekend and into the first week of August is a real bummer. We’re looking at consistent cross and cross-onshore winds with winds hitting 18-25 mph, and the swell never gets above 3ft. The energy readings are all in the double digits, mostly weak, and the wave comment says “poor surf conditions” for every single session. Saturday morning, 1st August, has a 0.7ft swell and only 4 points of energy. It’s a ghost town out there.
The wind does ease up a bit around the 7th and 8th of August, but the swell is still tiny, 0.3ft to 2ft, with periods all over the place. There’s a morning on the 7th with a 0.3ft E swell and an 11-second period, but that’s a long period for that size, and it’s basically flat. The energy is 3. You’re just floating.
Now, the best of a bad bunch shows up on Sunday, 9th August. Both morning and afternoon we get clean conditions with a cross-off NNW wind at 9 mph. The swell is a tiny 1ft from the SE, period 7 seconds, and the energy is 27 in the afternoon. That’s still weak, but it’s the cleanest the water will be. The Inlet and Pier is a beach and jetty setup, so it needs a bit more push to stand up, but if you’re desperate for a longboard session, that Sunday morning might be your only shot. The swell direction is SE, which is not the optimum NE, but the clean glassy surface is the only saving grace.
We then hit another dry spell from the 10th through the 14th. The wind goes back to cross-off occasionally, but the swell is consistently 0.3ft to 1ft. The energy is nearly all in the single digits. The afternoon of the 13th does show glassy conditions with a 0.7ft E swell and a 10-second period, but the energy is only 19. It’s a flat calm, pretty to look at, but not for surfing.
The real standout, if you can call it that, is that Sunday, 9th August. It’s the only window with a clean surface and a pulse of energy, however weak. For the rest of the period, it’s a long, hard wait. This stretch is typical for the area when it goes quiet, but it’s still a bummer. Looks more like a kite surfing setup with the cross-breezes than a proper paddle session.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Fri afternoon. Warm (max 27°C on Thu afternoon, min 22°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 36mm), heaviest during Wed morning. Warm (max 27°C on Mon morning, min 22°C on Wed morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSE on Tue afternoon, strong winds from the S by Wed morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SE 8 | SE 7 | NE 5 | ESE 10 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ESE 8 | S 4 | S 4 | SSE 6 | SE 6 | SE 7 | SE 7 | E 13 | E 8 | NE 4 | SE 7 | ESE 4 | SE 6 | E 5 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
28 | 19 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 10 | 24 | 7 | 38 | 38 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 31 | 10 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 9:08PM1.27m | 9:24AM1.03m | 9:46PM1.25m | 10:05AM1.07m | 10:24PM1.21m | 10:46AM1.10m | 11:03PM1.16m | 11:30AM1.14m | 11:45PM1.09m | 12:17PM1.16m | 00:31AM1.01m | 1:10PM1.19m | 1:25AM0.94m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:42PM0.05m | 3:25AM0.09m | 3:23PM0.05m | 4:01AM0.08m | 4:06PM0.07m | 4:39AM0.08m | 4:53PM0.10m | 5:19AM0.08m | 5:43PM0.13m | 6:01AM0.09m | 6:38PM0.16m | 6:49AM0.09m | 7:38PM0.19m | |||||||
— | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | |
8:12 | — | — | 8:10 | — | — | 8:09 | — | — | 8:08 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:06 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 8 | 14 |
Temp °C | 27 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 24 |
Feels °C | 26 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 6 | ESE 8 | SSE 4 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 6 | NE 4 | SE 7 | E 8 | SSE 6 |
28 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 38 | 38 | 50 | 30 | 16 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 24 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | NE 4 | NE 5 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | S 6 | ESE 8 | E 6 | SE 6 | E 6 | SSE 7 | E 8 | — | SE 8 | SE 7 | E 9 | — | SE 8 |
5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 15 | 1 | — | 3 | 8 | 1 | — | 2 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 7 | — | ESE 10 | — | S 3 | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 6 | — | ESE 8 | — | E 9 | E 13 | E 8 | E 8 | S 6 | E 8 | ESE 8 | E 13 |
— | 1 | — | 9 | — | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | — | 7 | — | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 3 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 3 | — | — | — | S 3 | — | SSE 7 | S 4 | S 4 | SSE 6 | WSW 2 | — | — | — | NNE 2 | NE 4 | SE 3 | ESE 4 | SE 6 | E 5 |
2 | — | — | — | 2 | — | 26 | 13 | 10 | 24 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 31 | 10 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 273 | 3 | 172 | 438 | 13 | 410 | 1194 | 622 | 1143 | 1113 | 622 | 1104 | 1063 | 23 | 410 | 1063 | 1082 | 1063 | 3004 | 1066 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Maryland | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the The Inlet and Pier Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for The Inlet and Pier provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The Inlet and Pier can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Inlet and Pier 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 Inlet and Pier) 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 Inlet and Pier 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 Inlet and Pier is 3 km (2 miles) from Ocean City. If you plan a vacation in Maryland, 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.











