Wildwood Crest Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu for the Jersey Shore, specifically down at Wildwood Crest. Gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough outlook. We’ve got a solid 16 days in front of us, but the first real chance to paddle out doesn’t come until the very end of the first week, and even then, it’s a struggle.

The overall pattern is one of small, weak swells and onshore or cross-shore winds messing things up. The combined wave energy is low, often in the 20–40 (weak energy) range, and only flirts briefly with moderate energy later on. The wind is never truly offshore for any sustained period, and when it is, the swell is tiny. There’s no groundswell to speak of; periods are mostly short, under 8 seconds, which means weak, disorganized waves.

For the first week, from Monday 13th July through to Wednesday 15th, forget it. Waves are under 1.0 ft with terrible onshore wind. We get a glimpse of a glassy morning on Thursday 16th July, but with a 1 ft S swell at 5 seconds, it’s barely a ripple. The combined energy is only 14 (weak). The weekend of 18th and 19th July picks up a little – Saturday 18th afternoon sees a 4 ft S swell with a period of 5 seconds, but the wind is a fresh cross-onshore at 19 mph, making it lumpy and unpleasant. The energy bumps to 81 (weak), but it’s still sloppy. Sunday 19th morning is cleaner with a cross-offshore wind, but the swell drops back to 2 ft.

The best bet in this entire stretch is the morning of Monday 20th July. The swell comes from the SSE at 2 ft with a period of 8 seconds, and the combined energy hits 78 (weak), so there’s a bit more push. The wind is a light cross-onshore, which isn’t perfect, but it’s the most energy we see all week. It’s marginal, but if you’re desperate, that’s your window. A long walk and a shortboard might get you a couple.

After that, we hit another dry spell. From Tuesday 21st July through to Tuesday 28th July, it’s all tiny waves under 1 ft with mostly cross-onshore or onshore winds. The energy drops into the single digits and teens. You’d be better off taking up kite surfing, because the stiff cross-onshore breezes on Saturday 25th and Monday 27th July look more interesting for that than for a surfboard.

Honestly, there’s no standout here. Not one day gets a thumbs up for quality. The beach at Wildwood Crest is a sandbar setup, but with no decent swell and wind in the wrong direction, it’s a flat spell. For a spot that’s fairly consistent, this kind of blank run is unusual but it happens. All we can do is wait for the next weather system to break the pattern.

Rusty.

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