38th St Beach Surf Break

Lat Long: 39.39° N 74.39° W

Issued: 1 am 03 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's 38th St Beach sea temperature is
23.6° C

2.6°C warmer than normal for this time of year

38th St Beach surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


38th St Beach surf forecast from 3 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 7 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 6s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 8 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 8s period, SSE swell with 83 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 7 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 6s period with S swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for 38th St Beach this week:

The surf forecast for 38th St Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 07) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at 38th St Beach in the next 16 days are 0.8m 8s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 08) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 3s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 04) at 2AM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)11PM (Tue 7th Jul)1.5ft (0.5m) 6s
Best Surf11PM (Tue 7th Jul)1.5ft (0.5m) 6s
Most Powerful 8AM (Wed 8th Jul)2.5ft (0.8m) 8s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for 38th St Beach over the next 16 days.


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Alright, let’s get real about 38th St Beach. This is a sandbar setup, exposed to the swell, and prefers it from the southeast for optimum. But you know what? Over the next 16 days, it’s basically a ghost town for surf. There are no good surf options on the table – not a single standout worth paddling out for.

Right now, we’re looking at tiny dribble. Friday the 3rd and Saturday the 4th offer knee-high 0.7ft to 1ft swell from the ESE and SE, with a weak period around 9 seconds. The water’s been sitting at 75°, which is a solid 5° warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s much warmer than usual and pretty noticeable when you dip in. But the wave energy is just sad – we’re talking combined energy values between 14 and 32, barely a ripple.

Sunday the 5th stays flat with 1.0ft and a period dropping to 8 seconds, and the wind swings cross-on from the east. Monday the 6th is a write-off with onshore ESE winds around 9-12 mph and the threat of storms. Tuesday the 7th sees a slight bump to 2ft but the period crashes to 6 seconds, making it choppy and weak.

We get a brief pulse on Wednesday the 8th morning – 2ft from the SSE with an 8-second period, light cross-off breeze from the NNE, and the combined energy hits 104 – that’s moderate energy for once. The file says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” That’s as close to a highlight as it gets, but it’s still tiny, and the crowds are listed as “often” at this break, so you won’t be alone.

From there, it’s a long dry gap. Thursday the 9th through Wednesday the 15th is a flat spell, with heights mostly 1.0ft to 2ft, periods 5 to 9 seconds, and wind always cross-on or onshore. Even Thursday the 16th morning offers only 3ft from the SSE – combined energy 67, weak – with a clean cross-off breeze from the WSW, but no power behind it.

There’s a slight uptick on Wednesday the 15th morning with 4ft from the SSE at a 7-second period and a combined energy of 177 – moderate energy, clean winds from the west – but the period is short, so it’ll be lumpy and unshaped. By Saturday the 18th, we get another 4ft pulse from the south, but the period drops to 5-6 seconds and the wind screams onshore at 16-19 mph, making it a choppy mess – more kite-surfing territory than paddle-surfing.

Honestly, for this area, that kind of blank run is normal. It’s a consistent spot, but nothing’s firing. Don’t hold your breath – flatter forecasts can shift, but right now, leave the boards at home.

Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 26mm), heaviest during Sat night. Warm (max 37°C on Fri afternoon, min 21°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Mon morning. Warm (max 28°C on Tue afternoon, min 21°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Friday
3
Saturday
4
Sunday
5
Monday
6
Tuesday
7
Wednesday
8
Thursday
9
AM
PM
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
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
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
S
5
0.4
SE
10
0.4
SE
9
0.3
SE
9
0.3
SE
9
0.3
SE
9
0.3
SE
9
0.3
SE
8
0.3
SE
8
0.4
SE
9
0.4
SE
9
0.3
SE
10
0.6
E
6
0.5
S
6
0.5
S
6
0.7
SSE
8
0.5
S
7
0.3
SE
9
0.3
SE
9
0.5
S
6
0.3
SE
10
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
8
23
22
13
13
12
12
11
11
21
22
15
27
19
19
58
25
14
13
21
14
Wind (km/h)
5
SW
20
WSW
15
NW
10
SSW
10
W
15
W
5
WSW
15
E
10
ESE
15
ESE
20
ESE
15
SSE
15
SW
20
S
10
NNE
10
NNE
15
SSE
10
SSW
10
SSE
20
S
15
SSW
Wind State
cross
cross-off
off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-on
on
on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
on
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross
High Tide
11:08AM1.02m
11:13PM1.32m
11:49AM1.05m
11:52PM1.27m
12:31PM1.09m
00:34AM1.22m
1:15PM1.14m
1:20AM1.16m
2:02PM1.20m
2:13AM1.10m
2:58PM1.26m
3:17AM1.05m
4:04PM1.34m
4:32AM1.03m
Low Tide
4:35PM0.25m
5:30AM0.14m
5:20PM0.28m
6:10AM0.14m
6:12PM0.30m
6:50AM0.13m
7:09PM0.30m
7:33AM0.12m
8:08PM0.30m
8:20AM0.12m
9:16PM0.28m
9:16AM0.11m
10:29PM0.22m
clear
clear
thunderstorm
clear
clear
rain showers
cloud
part cloud
rain showers
light rain
thunderstorm
part cloud
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
5:35
5:35
5:35
5:35
5:37
5:37
5:37
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:28
8:27
8:27
8:27
8:27
8:25
8:25
 mm
3
21
2
2
1
4
2
3
Temp °C
33
37
28
30
35
31
23
24
22
22
23
25
27
28
28
22
23
23
25
25
24
Feels °C
36
36
27
32
36
32
26
27
22
25
24
27
29
29
31
24
24
26
28
25
24
Swell 1
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.4
S
5
0.4
SE
10
0.5
S
4
0.4
S
5
0.3
SE
9
0.4
S
4
0.3
SE
9
0.3
SE
8
0.3
SE
8
0.4
SSE
4
0.3
S
5
0.5
E
5
0.6
E
6
0.5
S
6
0.5
S
6
0.7
SSE
8
0.5
S
7
0.4
SSE
6
0.4
SSE
6
0.3
SE
9
0.4
SSE
6
Energy kJ
7
23
9
7
13
6
12
11
11
5
4
14
27
17
19
58
23
13
13
13
14
Swell 2
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.2
ESE
7
0.4
SE
9
0.3
SE
9
0.3
SE
9
0.3
S
4
0.2
S
4
0.2
S
4
0.3
SE
9
0.3
SE
9
0.3
SE
10
0.4
SSE
5
0.5
E
6
0.3
SE
9
0.3
SE
9
0.3
SE
9
0.4
ENE
5
0.3
E
5
0.2
E
5
0.3
SE
10
Energy kJ
5
22
13
12
4
2
2
13
14
15
9
19
13
13
13
10
5
2
14
Swell 3
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.2
ESE
9
0.2
NNE
3
0.2
S
5
0.4
SE
9
0.4
SE
9
0.1
E
11
0.2
ESE
10
0.3
SE
10
0.3
SE
9
0.1
E
9
0.3
SE
9
0.3
SE
9
0.1
E
10
Energy kJ
8
1
2
21
22
2
9
15
13
2
14
13
2
Wind waves
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.2
W
3
0.5
S
4
0.3
W
3
0.4
SSW
5
0.2
E
3
0.3
ENE
4
0.4
ENE
4
0.5
E
4
0.4
SSE
4
0.7
S
5
0.5
E
6
0.8
ENE
5
0.7
E
5
0.5
S
6
0.3
S
4
Energy kJ
1
9
1
7
1
3
6
9
7
27
18
31
25
21
2
Nearest Offshore or Glassy
Rating
(10 max)
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Distance (km)
167
1567
145
261
2326
1097
1076
2361
1008
1171
1172
1171
29
105
0
0
310
40
251
310
98
Best forecast wave conditions in New Jersey
Rating
(10 max)
1
1
1
1
1
Best forecast wave conditions in United States
Rating
(10 max)
1
2
2
2
1
2
2
2
2
3
2
2
3
2
2
3
3
3
3
3
2
Header Global
Rating
(10 max)
5
8
5
4
5
5
9
6
7
6
9
7
5
6
9
9
9
6
5
6
6
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for 38th St Beach:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our 38th St Beach surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


Information about the 38th St Beach Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for 38th St Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at 38th St Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our 38th St Beach 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 (38th St Beach) 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 38th St Beach 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.

38th St Beach 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.

Nearest locationNearest