The South Jetty Surf Break

Lat Long: 39.39° N 74.39° W

The South Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 pm 29 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's The South Jetty sea temperature is
24.6°C
2.1° 

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


The South Jetty surf forecast from 30 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Monday 31 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 5s period, S swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 12s period, SE swell with 89 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 31 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 5s period with S swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The South Jetty this week:

The surf forecast for The South Jetty over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 4s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 5s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 8s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at The South Jetty in the next 16 days are 0.6m 12s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.2m 2s period and expected on Friday (Sep 04) at 5AM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 2AM (Mon 31st Aug)2.5ft (0.7m) 5s
Best Surf 2AM (Mon 31st Aug)2.5ft (0.7m) 5s
Most Powerful 5AM (Wed 2nd Sep)2ft (0.6m) 12s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for The South Jetty over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks at The South Jetty.

Right off the bat, I gotta say, it’s looking tough. The whole 16-day window is one long, flat, and pretty hopeless run. We’ve got a big gap here—there isn’t a single moment I’d point you to and say “go get it.” The combined swell energy barely ever cracks 50 (24 to 70 range), so the ocean is just tired.

Starting from Sunday the 30th of August right through the first week of September, it’s all tiny stuff. You’re looking at waves mostly around 1ft to 2ft from the SE, with a period hanging around 7 to 8 seconds—short period, weak, gutless. The wind is generally cross or cross-on, chopping it up. There’s a brief moment Tuesday morning September 1st when it goes glassy with the SE breeze, but that swell is only 1ft with a period of 7 seconds—barely a ripple.

Mid-week we get a little spike. Wednesday morning September 2nd, the swell pushes up to 2ft from the SE with period stretching to 11 seconds, and combined energy hits 79. That’s the highest energy we’ll see, but it’s still poor surf conditions—wind is light cross-on, so it’s small wind ripples. Not worth the paddle.

As we roll into the second week, it gets a bit cleaner. By Sunday the 6th, the swell shifts to a short-period S swell, but it’s onshore and messy. The highlight of the whole stretch comes on Friday the 11th of September: we get a fresh offshore wind from the WNW at 22 mph keeping it clean, and the wave height bumps up slightly to 2ft from the SSE, period still short at 7 seconds. Combined energy gets to 70. It’s clean, it’s beautiful to look at, but there just isn’t enough swell to make it worth suiting up.

Saturday the 12th stays clean with fresh offshore winds but the swell drops right back to 1ft, so you’re just bobbing around out there. By Sunday the 13th, early morning goes glassy with a little bump to 3ft from the SSW, but period is a terrible 4 seconds—no push, just bumpy water.

Truth is, if you want to paddle out, you’re gonna be fighting for scraps. The breaks here are a beach and jetty setup, so with this amount of swell and cross-chop, honestly, this looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. We don’t normally see blank runs this long, but this is one of those stretches where patience is the name of the game.

There’s no standout. Not one. The best you can hope for is a clean but tiny wave on the 11th or the glassy 3ft bump on the morning of the 13th. For now, leave the board in the car and watch the horizon.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 27°C on Tue afternoon, min 22°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Tue night. Warm (max 26°C on Wed afternoon, min 22°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light.

Sunday
30
Monday
31
Tuesday
1
Wednesday
2
Thursday
3
Friday
4
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
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
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)
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.3
SE
8
0.7
S
5
0.3
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
7
0.3
SE
7
0.3
SE
7
0.4
SE
12
0.6
SE
11
0.6
SE
10
0.5
SE
10
0.4
SE
9
0.4
SE
9
0.4
SE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.4
ESE
8
0.3
SE
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
17
18
11
27
10
15
13
7
7
52
75
63
45
29
27
18
22
21
10
Wind (km/h)
5
WSW
15
SSW
25
SSW
5
NNW
10
E
10
E
5
SW
5
SE
15
S
5
SE
5
ENE
10
E
5
NE
10
SSW
15
SSW
10
WNW
10
NE
5
SSW
15
NNW
Wind State
glassy
cross
cross-on
glassy
cross-on
cross-on
glassy
glassy
cross-on
glassy
cross-on
cross-on
glassy
cross
cross
cross-off
cross
glassy
off
High Tide
9:44PM1.40m
10:06AM1.35m
10:21PM1.35m
10:43AM1.38m
11:01PM1.28m
11:26AM1.41m
11:47PM1.20m
12:16PM1.41m
00:42AM1.12m
1:12PM1.41m
1:42AM1.06m
2:15PM1.40m
2:53AM1.01m
Low Tide
3:42AM0.05m
3:59PM0.12m
4:17AM0.06m
4:44PM0.15m
4:55AM0.09m
5:37PM0.20m
5:41AM0.14m
6:38PM0.24m
6:34AM0.18m
7:42PM0.28m
7:33AM0.22m
8:52PM0.30m
clear
part cloud
clear
thunderstorm
part cloud
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
part cloud
clear
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
part cloud
thunderstorm
part cloud
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
part cloud
part cloud
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:22
6:24
6:24
6:26
6:26
6:28
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:32
7:31
7:30
7:29
7:27
7:25
7:23
 mm
4
1
2
5
1
6
1
3
Temp °C
22
24
26
25
24
25
24
25
27
25
24
26
23
24
26
26
24
26
25
Feels °C
22
23
24
25
26
28
27
28
28
27
28
29
24
26
27
31
27
29
27
  • Map Icons:
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Information about the The South Jetty Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for The South Jetty provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The South Jetty can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The South Jetty 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 South Jetty) 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 South Jetty 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 South Jetty is 4 km (2 miles) from Atlantic City. If you plan a vacation in New Jersey, look for hotels and other accommodation in Atlantic City. Atlantic City has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

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