
Surf Forecasts:
The South Jetty surf forecast from 7 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 9 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 6s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 9 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 6s period, S swell with 137 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 8 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 6s 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 Saturday (Aug 08) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.1m and 9s 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 1.3m 6s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Sat 8th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Sun 9th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Sun 9th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The South Jetty over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are looking pretty bleak for a proper surf. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak swell and mostly onshore or cross-shore wind, so if you’re after anything with real push, you’re going to be waiting a while. There’s a lot of flat, gutless energy out there, and the few moments of clean conditions are on waves that are barely worth the paddle.
We’re starting off at The South Jetty. The water’s sitting at a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, about 77° – just a hint above average. Friday morning has a weak 2ft of south swell with a short 5-second period, and the wind’s cross from the southwest. It’s messy, choppy, and the wave energy is weak (53). Not worth suiting up for. The afternoon goes downhill, cross-on and only 3ft, even less energy (32).
Saturday is more of the same – a slightly bigger pulse at 3ft but still a short 6-second period. The energy bumps to 117, but the wind is cross and it’s still poor. Sunday morning is the first time it cleans up a bit. The wind turns cross-offshore, the waves are 3ft from the south, and it’s described as surfable but very ordinary. Still, with that weak energy (55), you’d be surfing whitewash more than anything else. Afternoon chops back up.
We slide into Monday and Tuesday with the swell dropping to 2-2ft. Early Tuesday morning there’s a whisper of cross-offshore wind and a clean surface, but the waves are tiny (2ft) with almost no energy (18). Not worth the effort. The middle of the week stays flat – Wednesday morning has a 1ft bump with offshore wind, but it’s just nothing. Then Thursday brings onshore wind and a storm risk, so forget it.
The next several days – from the 13th through the 18th – are a real dead zone. Swell hovers around 1-2ft, mostly from the southeast with short periods. There are mornings of glassy conditions, like the 18th with 1ft and glass, but the swell is so weak and short-period it’s barely breaking. The energy values are mostly in the teens and twenties, which is just pitiful. You’d be floating more than surfing.
There’s a slight kick on the 16th – Sunday – with the swell direction shifting and a 3ft wave showing up with 60 energy and a clean cross-offshore wind in the afternoon. But it’s still short-period (5 seconds) and the size is marginal. It’s the best of a bad bunch, but that’s not saying much.
Into the final week, the 19th and 20th have a bit more period – 9-10 seconds – but the size is stuck at 1ft. The wind is mostly cross-on or cross, so it’s choppy and lumpy. Thursday the 21st sees some cross-off in the morning, but the swell is only 1ft with 9-second period. Still nothing. The last day we’ve got – the 22nd – starts off glassy with 1ft, but it’s a weak 5-second swell, so the whole run ends as it began – flat and frustrating.
Honestly, there is no standout in this entire window. The only thing remotely rideable is that Sunday morning on the 9th, but it’s still poor. If you’re a beginner, you’d be wasting your time – the waves are too small to even learn on. For anyone else, this is a board-in-the-car-see-you-next-week kind of forecast. The lack of any decent swell and the persistent wind means the South Jetty is just not doing anything for us. Keep the hopes low, and maybe check back in a few days – these forecasts can turn, but right now, it’s a flat spell.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 32°C on Sun afternoon, min 23°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 32°C on Mon afternoon, min 22°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | |||||||||||||||
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) | S 6 | S 4 | S 6 | SSW 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 5 | S 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 5 | S 6 | S 4 | S 4 | S 5 | SSE 6 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
29 | 20 | 72 | 59 | 30 | 88 | 51 | 36 | 64 | 27 | 25 | 16 | 14 | 31 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 11 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:41PM1.38m | 4:19AM1.00m | 4:55PM1.44m | 5:30AM1.05m | 5:58PM1.51m | 6:31AM1.11m | 6:56PM1.57m | 7:30AM1.19m | 7:53PM1.60m | 8:26AM1.28m | 8:45PM1.61m | 9:16AM1.34m | 9:33PM1.58m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:50AM0.16m | 10:16PM0.26m | 10:01AM0.16m | 11:25PM0.18m | 11:10AM0.10m | 00:25AM0.09m | 12:13PM0.04m | 1:22AM0.00m | 1:13PM-0.03m | 2:13AM-0.07m | 2:09PM-0.07m | 2:59AM-0.12m | 3:00PM-0.09m | 3:42AM-0.12m | |||||||
6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | |
— | 8:02 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:57 | — | — | 7:55 | — | |
mm | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 |
Temp °C | 28 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 30 | 31 | 28 | 32 | 31 | 27 | 32 | 29 | 27 | 32 | 29 | 26 | 30 | 28 | 25 | 24 | 24 |
Feels °C | 29 | 30 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 29 | 31 | 32 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 30 | 26 | 29 | 28 | 26 | 25 | 27 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | SE 7 | SE 8 | S 6 | SE 8 | S 6 | S 6 | SE 7 | S 6 | S 6 | SE 10 | S 6 | S 5 | SE 9 | SSE 6 | SSE 5 | SE 8 | S 6 | S 4 | SSE 4 | SSE 6 |
22 | 8 | 9 | 32 | 23 | 57 | 51 | 2 | 30 | 27 | 4 | 16 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 11 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | SE 8 | E 9 | SE 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 10 | E 8 | SE 10 | SE 9 | E 8 | SE 9 | SE 8 | E 11 | SE 8 | S 5 | SE 8 | SE 8 |
2 | 2 | 2 | 25 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 10 | — | E 9 | — | E 9 | E 9 | — | E 11 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 12 | E 8 | E 8 | E 7 | E 7 | SE 8 | SE 10 | SE 10 |
— | 2 | — | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 5 | S 4 | S 6 | SSW 6 | S 6 | S 6 | WNW 3 | S 6 | S 6 | — | S 6 | — | — | S 6 | WSW 3 | — | S 6 | S 4 | — | S 5 | — |
29 | 20 | 72 | 59 | 30 | 88 | 2 | 36 | 64 | — | 25 | — | — | 31 | 3 | — | 10 | 9 | — | 8 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 30 | 99 | 0 | 20 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 0 | 145 | 949 | 941 | 613 | 71 | 211 | 227 | 619 | 261 | 227 | 286 | 261 |
Best forecast wave conditions in New Jersey | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











