Surf Forecasts:
The South Jetty surf forecast from 28 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 31 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 4s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 10s period, SE swell with 273 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 31 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 4s 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 4s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 8s 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 Wednesday (Sep 02) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 4s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 29) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Mon 31st Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 4s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Mon 31st Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 4s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The South Jetty over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s happening for the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the first week and a half is a real struggle. We’ve got a long stretch of poor surf conditions and tiny waves, so don’t even bother waxing up your board until the second week of September. There’s a solid gap of nothing but grovelers and choppy wind from Friday the 28th of August all the way through to the morning of Wednesday the 9th of September.
The only real window of opportunity that’s worth a look lands on Wednesday the 9th of September afternoon and Thursday the 10th of September morning. The South Jetty (beach/jetty) is where we’ll be focusing. On Wednesday afternoon, we’ve got a moderate 5 ft swell from the SSE, with a long period of 14 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The combined energy is strong at 843, so there’s plenty of push. The wind is light and cross-shore from the SW, so the surface should be workable, but those sets might be a bit slow and walled up at the beach. Expect marginal conditions but rideable waves. Then on Thursday morning, the swell drops to 2 ft from the SE, but the period is still a decent 12 seconds, and the energy is moderate at 325. The big winner here is the glassy offshore wind from the WNW – that’ll clean things up nicely. The water is much warmer than normal for this time of year at 77°, so you can leave the thick wetsuit at home.
After that, the surf falls away again through the rest of the second week with small, choppy slop and poor conditions. Nothing else really stands out as a goer.
So to sum it up: if you’re itching for a paddle, aim for the late afternoon of the 9th or the morning of the 10th of September. The rest of the window is a write-off for quality waves.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 20mm), heaviest during Fri afternoon. Warm (max 26°C on Fri afternoon, min 20°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 39mm), heaviest during Tue morning. Warm (max 27°C on Mon afternoon, min 21°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | ||||||||||||||
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 | ENE 5 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 4 | S 4 | S 5 | SE 8 | SE 7 | ESE 4 | SE 5 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 5 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
35 | 33 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 13 | 25 | 11 | 15 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 37 | 263 | 226 | 77 | 77 | 52 | 31 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 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 | 12:16PM1.41m | 00:42AM1.12m | 1:12PM1.41m | 1:42AM1.06m | |||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 5:41AM0.14m | 6:38PM0.24m | 6:34AM0.18m | 7:42PM0.28m | |||||||
— | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | |
7:35 | — | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:25 | — | |
mm | 8 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 1 | — | 1 | 24 | 8 | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | — | 2 |
Temp °C | 26 | 26 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 27 | 26 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 33 | 29 |
Feels °C | 29 | 27 | 19 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 28 | 27 | 24 | 26 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 25 | 34 | 33 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 4 | S 5 | S 5 | S 4 | SE 9 | S 4 | SE 12 | — | SE 10 | — | SE 9 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 |
35 | 33 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 11 | 19 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 37 | — | 80 | — | 29 | 47 | 31 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 6 | S 5 | SSE 6 | S 5 | ENE 5 | NE 5 | E 6 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | — | — | SE 8 | S 4 | — | — | — | — | SE 9 | SE 8 |
10 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 10 | 15 | — | — | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 20 | 18 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | S 5 | E 6 | E 9 | E 6 | — | E 5 | — | SE 15 | SE 13 | — | — | — | — | — | SE 9 | — |
2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | — | 8 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | 38 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | ENE 5 | E 5 | — | S 3 | S 4 | S 4 | — | — | SE 7 | ESE 4 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 5 | SSE 6 | SSW 6 | — |
— | — | 19 | 11 | — | 2 | 13 | 25 | — | — | 25 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 263 | 226 | 77 | 77 | 52 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 31 | 146 | 149 | 286 | 261 | 382 | 2369 | 0 | 227 | 1076 | 3 | 52 | 2425 | 388 | 330 | 671 | 312 | 90 | 3 | 123 |
Best forecast wave conditions in New Jersey | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
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.











