Wildwood Crest Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty checkin’ in from the Wildwood crest. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are lookin’ grim. Plain and simple. We’ve got a big gap of nothing-worth-paddling-out-for right through the end of July and into the first few days of August. The water’s a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sittin’ around 76°, but that’s where the good news ends.

From Monday the 20th right through to the end of the month, it’s a whole lotta small, weak, and messy. Winds are mostly cross or onshore, kicking up chop and bump. Swell heights barely scrape past 3 feet, and the period is short, around 6 to 8 seconds – that’s windswell junk, nothin’ with any real push. The combined energy is mostly in the double digits or low triple digits, real weak stuff (14 to 132). You’ll see a few afternoons where the swell bumps up, like Wednesday the 22nd with 6 feet from the S, but the wind is cross and onshore, and the rating is a total dud. That’s a choppy, lumpy mess, better left for the kite crew than a paddle surfer.

Thursday the 23rd afternoon shows a little flash of hope – just 2 feet from the SSE, but with a light offshore wind from the NW. That’s clean. The comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” and I’d agree. It’s small, but if you’re desperate, you might find a knee-high peel. Same story pops up again on Tuesday the 28th morning, with a clean 2 feet from the S and a cross-offshore breeze, and Wednesday the 29th morning with another clean 2 feet from the SSE. But these are fleeting moments of clean, tiny surf.

Then we get a glimmer on Sunday the 2nd of August. The morning shows 4 feet from the SSW with a light cross-offshore wind from the WSW, making it clean. The combined energy is 101, so it’s got a little bit of push. The comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” That’s the best of the whole run, but it’s still nothing to write home about. The afternoon swings back to onshore junk.

There’s nothing here that’s a standout. The only break in the mix is Wildwood Crest, a sandbar setup that’s exposed to the SE. It’s a beginner-friendly spot, fairly consistent, but for this run, the consistency is all poor surf. Crowds are often here, but honestly, with this forecast, you won’t have to worry about competition.

So, bottom line: if you’ve got a surfboard, leave it in the car. The setup is more interesting for kite surfing on those windy, lumpy days. The best you’ll find is a few clean, tiny waves on the 23rd, 28th, 29th, and the morning of the 2nd of August. It’s a long, flat spell. Forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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