The South Jetty Surf Break

Lat Long: 39.39° N 74.39° W

The South Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 pm 26 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's The South Jetty sea temperature is
25.1°C
2.3° 

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 27 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Friday 28 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 6s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 3 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 10s period, ESE swell with 294 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 28 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 6s period with SSE 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 Friday (Aug 28) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 0.6m and 4s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at The South Jetty in the next 16 days are 1.2m 10s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 03) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 5AM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 2AM (Fri 28th Aug)2.5ft (0.8m) 6s
Best Surf 2AM (Fri 28th Aug)2.5ft (0.8m) 6s
Most Powerful 2AM (Thu 3rd Sep)4ft (1.2m) 10s

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


The Lowdown

G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for your local patch. Let’s be straight with each other – the next 16 days are looking pretty grim for a proper surf. The whole stretch is a tough slog, with barely a wave worth paddling for. There’s a long gap of nothing good from the start, and honestly, the only spot that ever gets a mention is The South Jetty.

Right off the bat, the outlook is bleak. From Thursday 27 August through to the end of the month, there’s nothing but tiny, gutless swell with poor, choppy conditions. The wind is mostly cross-onshore and the swell height barely scrapes 2 ft, with weak energy (56). It’s a write-off.

The first real glimmer, and it’s a weak one, comes on Friday 28 August. The South Jetty sees a little 2 ft swell from the ESE, period 8 seconds, and the wind goes glassy in the morning. The combined energy is still low (65), but that glassy calm means the surface is clean. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. The afternoon turns cross-shore and messy again.

After that, it’s back to a long stretch of nothing. Saturday 29 August through to Monday 31 August offer tiny swells (1 ft to 2 ft) with cross-on or cross-off winds, all scoring poorly. The energy is weak, barely hitting 32. The whole period is a dud.

We hit a real low point on Tuesday 1 September – the swell drops to just 0.3 ft, though the period is a very long 15 seconds. The wind is light and cross-off, so it’s clean, but there’s no wave to ride. Combine that with weak energy (19), and it’s a skunk session.

Wednesday 2 September shows a slight bump – the swell lifts to 3 ft from the E, period 6 seconds, and the energy creeps into moderate territory (106). But the wind is cross-onshore, making it choppy and poor. The afternoon sees a 2 ft SE swell with a longer 11-second period and a light cross-shore, but it’s still rated poor.

The biggest swell of the entire run appears on Thursday 3 September, with 5 ft from the ENE, period 8 seconds, and moderate energy (347). But the wind is a strong cross-onshore, creating choppy, lumpy conditions. For a beach/jetty break like The South Jetty, that’s tough – it’s not offering the clean, lined-up waves you’d want. This is more of a kite-surfing setup than paddle surfing.

Friday 4 September keeps the swell around 4 ft from the E, period 8 to 9 seconds, with moderate energy (240 to 268). The wind is fresh cross-shore, so it’s lumpy and messy. Still poor.

From Saturday 5 September onward, the swell steadily drops back to 2 ft to 2 ft with weak energy, and the wind remains cross-on or cross-shore, keeping conditions poor. The entire second week – from 5 September to 11 September – offers nothing but tiny, choppy, or glassy-but-flat surf. The highlight is a glassy morning on Thursday 10 September with 1 ft SE swell, but there’s just no power.

The water temperature is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual.

Honestly, there’s no standout here. The best bet would be Friday 28 August morning for a clean, tiny wave, but don’t expect much. The rest of the 16 days is a blank run. This area isn’t known for this kind of flat spell, but sometimes it just happens. Forecasts can change, so keep an eye out, but for now, leave the board at home.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 28°C on Fri afternoon, min 22°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Some drizzle, heaviest during Tue afternoon. Warm (max 30°C on Tue afternoon, min 22°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light.

Thursday
27
Friday
28
Saturday
29
Sunday
30
Monday
31
Tuesday
1
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
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
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
ESE
9
0.5
ESE
8
0.5
ESE
9
0.8
SSE
6
0.6
ESE
8
0.6
ESE
8
0.5
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.3
SE
8
0.3
SE
8
0.4
SE
7
0.4
SE
7
0.3
SE
7
0.3
SE
7
0.8
E
5
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
31
41
46
34
47
46
32
17
16
23
18
18
12
13
13
12
8
7
31
Wind (km/h)
20
SSW
20
S
30
S
10
WSW
0
NW
15
SW
15
NNW
20
NE
15
ESE
10
SSW
15
SSW
25
SSW
20
SW
15
ENE
10
SW
10
WNW
15
W
25
NE
15
ENE
Wind State
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
glassy
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross
cross
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-on
High Tide
8:18AM1.17m
8:32PM1.43m
8:56AM1.24m
9:09PM1.43m
9:31AM1.30m
9:44PM1.40m
10:06AM1.35m
10:21PM1.35m
10:43AM1.38m
11:01PM1.28m
11:26AM1.41m
11:47PM1.20m
Low Tide
2:05AM0.15m
2:00PM0.18m
2:39AM0.10m
2:40PM0.14m
3:10AM0.06m
3:19PM0.12m
3:42AM0.05m
3:59PM0.12m
4:17AM0.06m
4:44PM0.15m
4:55AM0.09m
5:37PM0.20m
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
thunderstorm
part cloud
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
heavy rain
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:20
6:20
6:22
6:22
6:24
6:24
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:37
7:36
7:35
7:32
7:31
7:30
7:29
 mm
2
1
14
Temp °C
24
26
26
25
25
28
28
23
23
23
24
26
24
23
27
27
27
30
22
Feels °C
22
25
25
26
28
28
29
22
22
24
24
24
23
25
29
28
28
31
23
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • 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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