Cape May Surf Forecast
New Jersey, NJ · The state's southern tip - swings more southerly than the rest of NJ.
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Cape May Spot Guide
Best swell
Ideal size
Best wind
The wave
Local knowledge
The peninsula's swing to the south gives Cape May a window unlike the rest of New Jersey — S and SE swells arrive here first and cleanest. It's a longboarder's corner of the state, best in fall when tropical swell rounds the point of the cape.
Nearby spots
- Wildwood Crest 5 mi · New Jersey
- Indian River Inlet 24 mi · Delaware
- Atlantic City 40 mi · New Jersey
- Ocean City (MD) 42 mi · Maryland
- Assateague 53 mi · Maryland
FAQ
What swell direction works best at Cape May?
SSE swell hits Cape May straight on. The spot picks up anything arriving from E (90°) through SW (230°); swell from outside that window is blocked by the coastline.
What wind is best at Cape May?
NNW wind blows offshore and grooms the surf. SSE wind is straight onshore and chops it up; light wind under ~5 kn is fine from any direction.
When is the best time of year to surf Cape May?
Late summer through fall is prime: hurricane season (August-October) sends the year's best long-period swell, and fall-winter nor'easters keep it pumping. Summer runs smallest outside of tropical systems.
What's the best tide at Cape May?
Mid to high. Tide predictions for the spot's NOAA station are in the forecast above.
Is Cape May good for beginners?
Yes — Cape May's gentler bars suit beginners and longboarders.
How warm is the water at Cape May?
Roughly 41°F at its late-winter coldest to about 76°F in late summer. In practice that means a hooded 5/4 with boots and gloves in winter and trunks or a rash guard in summer. The forecast above shows the current water temperature.
How far out is this forecast reliable?
The wave model has real skill to about 10 days, and we cut the chart there instead of padding it with guesses. Days 1-3 are solid, 4-7 useful, 8-10 a trend heads-up - and we publish our measured error against NOAA buoys, updated continuously.
Forecast from TrueSwell's own physics-based wave model (exposure → refraction → breaking, every swell train separately), built on public NOAA and Open-Meteo data and scored daily against NDBC buoy observations. How the model works →