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Higgins Beach Surf Forecast

Maine, ME · South-facing Maine beachbreak that comes alive on groundswell.

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Higgins Beach Spot Guide

Best swell

SE
window ENE–SSW (60°–200°)

Ideal size

2–8 ft
breaking-wave face height

Best wind

NW
offshore · SE is onshore

Verified against

Buoy 44007
live NOAA readings · our error

The wave

BreakBeachbreak with a rivermouth corner
BottomSand
WavesPeaky lefts and rights, best on groundswell
AbilityYes — Higgins is one of Maine's friendliest learning beaches on small days, with room to spread out.
Best tideLow to mid — high tide swallows the beach against the seawall
CrowdMaine's most dedicated crew; polite but tight-knit
HazardsCold water most of the year; currents by the Spurwink River mouth
AccessSmall paid lot a block back from the beach; it fills on good summer days

Local knowledge

Higgins is the heart of Maine surfing — a neighborhood beachbreak just south of Portland that turns real Atlantic groundswell into surprisingly good peaks. Fall is the season: hurricane swells arrive while the water is still tolerable, and winter nor'easters reward anyone with enough rubber.

Nearby spots

FAQ

What swell direction works best at Higgins Beach?

SE swell hits Higgins Beach straight on. The spot picks up anything arriving from ENE (60°) through SSW (200°); swell from outside that window is blocked by the coastline.

What wind is best at Higgins Beach?

NW wind blows offshore and grooms the surf. SE 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 Higgins Beach?

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 Higgins Beach?

Low to mid — high tide swallows the beach against the seawall. Tide predictions for the spot's NOAA station are in the forecast above.

Is Higgins Beach good for beginners?

Yes — Higgins is one of Maine's friendliest learning beaches on small days, with room to spread out.

How warm is the water at Higgins Beach?

Roughly 38°F at its late-winter coldest to about 62°F in late summer. In practice that means a hooded 5/4 with boots and gloves in winter and a 3/2 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 →