Wildwood Crest Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let me tell you straight up, the next two weeks are looking pretty flat and sad for the Jersey shore. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing but small, wind-chopped dribble, so don’t be in a rush to paddle out.

The only spot worth a mention is Wildwood Crest. It’s a sandbar setup, exposed to a swell from the SE, which is the direction we need. For the opening period, starting Thursday July 30th, we’re looking at tiny 1 ft swell from the SSE with a short period of 8 seconds. The energy is weak (30), and with a cross-off NW breeze at 9 mph, the surface is clean, but the waves are just too small to do anything with. Friday morning stays the same, 1 ft and 8 seconds, with a light WSW wind, but the risk of thunderstorms will keep you on the beach.

The pattern doesn't change. Through the weekend and into the first week of August, the swell stays in the 1 ft to 3 ft range, but the wind turns onshore from the S and SSE, blowing 12 to 28 mph. That’s going to turn the ocean into a choppy mess. The water temp is sitting at 75°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

We do get a little bit of hope around the weekend of August 9th. On Sunday morning, we finally see a shift to a clean, offshore breeze from the NW at 12 mph. The wave height is still tiny at 1 ft, but the moderate offshore wind cleans it up. The swell is coming from the SE with a period of 7 seconds, so it’s short-period windswell. The energy is still low (26).

The absolute best of the whole forecast, and it’s not saying much, falls on Wednesday, August 12th. The afternoon session shows a 2 ft SSE swell with an 8-second period, and the combined energy ticks up to 42. The wind goes cross-off from the WNW at a light 6 mph, making for clean conditions. It’s the only day in the whole 16-day window that the forecast gives us a “surfable” nod, but even then, it’s very ordinary. This is a beginner-friendly wave at best, nothing to get excited about.

After that, it fades back into flatness. The last few days of the period show 0.3 ft to 1 ft dribble with good offshore winds, but there’s absolutely no water moving. There’s a long gap of poor surf here, so don’t hold your breath.

Bottom line: the only real chance to wet a line is that Wednesday afternoon, August 12th, at Wildwood Crest. It’s clean, but don’t expect a barrel. The rest is a write-off.

Rusty.

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