Wildwood Crest Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. We’re looking at a pretty grim stretch ahead for the Wildwood Crest area. The next 16 days are a real struggle, with very little to get excited about. The surf just isn't cooperating.

For the first week, from the end of August into early September, we’ve got nothing but tiny, weak waves. Morning of the 31st has a glassy 1 foot from the southeast, but the lightning risk kills it. The water is sitting at 78°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, a real anomaly. Later that day and into September 1st, the wind goes onshore or cross-off, but the swell is still a pathetic 1 foot with a short period. The energy is pitiful, with readings in the teens (13, 10, 9, 19) – it’s basically a lake.

We get a little bump on the 3rd of September, Thursday morning. The swell picks up to 2 feet from the ESE, but the period is a short 6 seconds. The wind is a light cross-off from the WSW, so it’s clean, but the waves are just "surfable but very ordinary." The combined energy hits 58, which is still weak. That’s as good as it gets for a while, and it’s not saying much.

The rest of the first week and into the second week is a write-off. We get a few mornings with clean offshore winds, like Friday the 4th with a 1 foot from the SE, but the swell is just too small. There’s a bigger pulse on the 6th of September, with 3 feet from the east, but the wind is cross-on, making it choppy and messy, and the energy is only 127. The 7th of September, Monday morning, offers a clean 2 feet from the east with a 9-second period, but it’s another "very ordinary" call.

The second week remains bleak. There’s a clean morning on the 9th of September with a 1 foot swell from the SE and a long 12-second period, but it’s tiny. The 11th of September, Friday afternoon, finally shows a 4 feet swell from the south with a light offshore wind, making it clean. The period is a short 5 seconds, though, and the energy is only 54. It’s the best of a bad lot, but still a very poor option.

The 12th of September, Saturday morning, has a clean 3 feet from the south with a 12 mph offshore wind, but the energy is 63. By the afternoon, the wind is a howling 25 mph offshore, making it clean but impossible to paddle into. The 14th of September, Monday morning, is glassy with a 1 foot, but it’s just not enough.

Overall, there are no real standouts here. The surf is consistently small, with poor or onshore winds ruining the few moments of clean conditions. The best bet is to keep an eye on the 11th of September for a small, clean window, but don’t expect much. This is a classic flat spell for the area. It won’t stay poor forever, but for now, the boards are staying in the car.

- Rusty

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