Surf Forecasts:
The Inlet and Pier surf forecast from 30 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 12s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 10s period, E swell with 153 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 1 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 12s period with SE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Inlet and Pier this week:
The surf forecast for The Inlet and Pier over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Inlet and Pier in the next 16 days are 0.9m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Friday (Sep 04) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Inlet and Pier over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get this out there. Look, I’ve been staring at the charts for The Inlet and Pier, and I’ve got to be straight with you—it’s a rough stretch ahead. There’s nothing on the board that’s going to get your heart racing, and for a long while, it’s going to be a whole lot of nothing. The good news is, this spot is super consistent, so when the ocean decides to wake up, it usually does. But for the next 16 days, you’re going to need a lot of patience.
The water’s sitting at 77° at the start, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year—nice for a paddle, but it won’t make up for the lack of surf.
The first few days are a write-off. We’re looking at tiny, weak swell around 1ft with short, crumbly 8-second periods and a light cross-shore wind. It’s just messy and small. There’s no push, no shape, nothing worth getting wet for. You’d be better off grabbing a coffee and watching the horizon.
We get a little tease on Wednesday the 2nd. The swell bumps up to a still-small 2ft, but the period stretches out to 11 seconds, which at least gives it a bit of push. The wind is mostly cross-offshore, so it might be clean, but the energy is weak (79). It’s surfable if you’re desperate, but it’s not going to be a session you remember. Thursday has a similar story, with a bit more energy (103) in the morning, but it’s still a far cry from good.
Then it just flat-lines again. From Friday the 4th all the way through to the 6th, we’re back down to knee-high mush with poor periods. It’s not worth the effort.
The second week is where it gets grim. Starting the 7th, the wind turns fully onshore and picks up, and the swell, while showing a blip of energy (134) on the Monday afternoon, is ruined by a strong cross-onshore breeze. It’s going to be lumpy, choppy, and generally ugly. This is the kind of setup that looks a whole lot more fun for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The swell stays small and the wind stays messy through the 10th. There’s a moment on the 11th with a 3ft swell, but it’s from the NNE with a 4-second period—just a wind-slop mess.
The very end of the run, from the 12th to the 14th, is just a flat, wind-blown nothing. Swell drops to 0.7ft-1ft, the period hangs around 9-10 seconds, but there’s no size and the wind on the 12th and 13th is a fresh cross-onshore breeze, making it lumpy.
So, here’s the bottom line. There are no standouts. Not one. The only time you might not feel like you’re wasting your time is Wednesday the 2nd or Thursday the 3rd, but even then, you’re just scratching an itch. It’s a long, dry spell, so keep the board in the car and the wax in the cupboard. Forecasts change, and with a spot this consistent, it won’t stay poor for long. But for now, it’s flat.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Mon night. Warm (max 30°C on Tue afternoon, min 23°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 33°C on Wed afternoon, min 21°C on Fri night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 8 | ENE 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
18 | 18 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 7 | 37 | 79 | 67 | 59 | 71 | 48 | 23 | 16 | 25 | 15 | 8 | 13 | 23 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | glassy | glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 9:37AM1.24m | 9:56PM1.22m | 10:19AM1.28m | 10:37PM1.15m | 11:04AM1.30m | 11:21PM1.07m | 11:53AM1.30m | 00:10AM0.99m | 12:48PM1.28m | 1:06AM0.91m | 1:52PM1.26m | 2:11AM0.87m | 3:01PM1.26m | 3:22AM0.87m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:47PM0.04m | 4:04AM0.05m | 4:34PM0.07m | 4:46AM0.06m | 5:26PM0.12m | 5:31AM0.08m | 6:22PM0.17m | 6:22AM0.11m | 7:24PM0.21m | 7:20AM0.12m | 8:30PM0.23m | 8:23AM0.12m | 9:39PM0.23m | ||||||||
6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | |
— | 7:32 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:25 | — | — | 7:23 | — | |
mm | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | 4 | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 33 | 32 | 29 | 31 | 32 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 22 | 23 | 23 |
Feels °C | 25 | 25 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 28 | 31 | 33 | 31 | 32 | 34 | 32 | 32 | 34 | 33 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 4 | SSE 4 | SE 8 | S 4 | SSW 5 | SE 7 | S 4 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | SE 9 | ENE 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 8 | ENE 8 |
18 | 18 | 11 | 3 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 79 | 67 | 43 | 71 | 48 | 23 | 16 | 25 | 15 | 8 | 13 | 23 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | — | SE 7 | SE 7 | S 4 | SE 12 | S 5 | S 5 | S 4 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | S 5 | SSE 6 | ESE 8 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | S 5 |
2 | 2 | 13 | 16 | — | 13 | 12 | 3 | 37 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 32 | 20 | 18 | 5 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 2 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 6 | NE 5 | — | E 8 | — | E 8 | ESE 8 | SE 9 | — | — | S 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | NE 6 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | S 5 | ESE 8 | NE 4 | SE 9 |
2 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | 7 | 20 | — | — | 2 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 3 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 3 | — | — | S 3 | SSW 4 | W 3 | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | — | — | ENE 6 | — | — | SSW 4 | WNW 2 | N 3 | N 3 | NE 4 | — | — |
— | 5 | — | — | 3 | 14 | 1 | 6 | 10 | — | — | 59 | — | — | 19 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 253 | 2346 | 304 | 304 | 1068 | 666 | 304 | 617 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 104 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 32 | 168 | 304 | 1095 | 312 |
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.











