Monmouth County Surf Forecast
Last Update: 5/18/2026 11:30 (Next Update will likely be Friday 5/22)
Link to Free Surf Cams: Beach Cams
Week of 5/16 - 5/23
Friday and Saturday were fun; hope y’all got a few!
Sunday looks fun with new south wind swell mixing in with some leftover east swell and offshore winds.
We could see another weak south swell on Wednesday or Thursday. The wind forecast is unclear at this time.
Looking ahead, we may see another east swell next weekend. Lots of uncertainty at this time on that one.
Monday 5/18
| Time | Wave Direction | Swell Height | Period | Energy Percentile | Wind Direction | Wind Speed | Water Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06:00 | 165 | 3 | 7.5 | 22.7 | SW | 5 | -0.9 |
| 08:00 | 164.9 | 2.8 | 7.5 | 21.2 | SSW | 4 | 1 |
| 10:00 | 165 | 2.6 | 7.6 | 19.5 | SSE | 6 | 0.8 |
| 12:00 | 165 | 2.5 | 7.6 | 17.6 | SSE | 8.2 | -1.1 |
| 14:00 | 165 | 2.5 | 7.6 | 17.6 | SSE | 10.9 | -2.7 |
| 16:00 | 165 | 2.7 | 7.5 | 19.6 | S | 12.7 | -2.6 |
| 18:00 | 165 | 2.8 | 7.5 | 22 | S | 14 | -0.1 |
| Time | Tide | Height (ft) |
|---|---|---|
| 03:08 | L | -0.54 |
| 09:08 | H | 4.75 |
| 15:05 | L | -0.21 |
| 21:23 | H | 5.88 |
Enough for a longboard on the mid-lower tide. Good for newer surfers with decent shape expected and not too much wind to ruin it completely.
Notes: Not clean, but worth a look for learners to get some uncrowded longboard waves.
Best board: longboard
Tuesday
No surf expected with strong south winds by afternoon.
Wednesday
| Time | Wave Direction | Swell Height | Period | Energy Percentile | Wind Direction | Wind Speed | Water Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06:00 | 175 | 3.9 | 6.3 | 17.4 | SW | 12.2 | -2.6 |
| 08:00 | 175 | 3.7 | 6.3 | 15.5 | SW | 11.3 | -0.8 |
| 10:00 | 175 | 3.6 | 6.3 | 14.2 | SSW | 11.5 | 0.9 |
| 12:00 | 175 | 3.6 | 6.2 | 14.1 | SSW | 14.5 | 0.3 |
| 14:00 | 175 | 4.1 | 6.1 | 16 | SSW | 17.4 | -1.2 |
| 16:00 | 172.4 | 4.3 | 6 | 17.3 | SSW | 15.2 | -2.5 |
| 18:00 | 165 | 4.1 | 6 | 18.9 | SW | 10.7 | -2.3 |
| Time | Tide | Height (ft) |
|---|---|---|
| 04:51 | L | -0.31 |
| 11:08 | H | 4.59 |
| 16:52 | L | 0.2 |
| 23:22 | H | 5.34 |
Possible poorly directed south swell. Not expecting much, but it should be enough for a longboard at worst. Cross-offshore wind expected for doable but imperfect conditions.
Notes: Low expectations required
Best board: Longboard
Thursday 5/21
| Time | Wave Direction | Swell Height | Period | Energy Percentile | Wind Direction | Wind Speed | Water Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06:00 | 165 | 3.1 | 6 | 10.3 | N | 11 | -2.9 |
| 08:00 | 165 | 3 | 6 | 9.5 | N | 11 | -1.6 |
| 10:00 | 165 | 2.9 | 6 | 8.8 | NNE | 10.2 | 0.4 |
| 12:00 | 165 | 2.8 | 6 | 8 | NNE | 7.8 | 0.8 |
| 14:00 | 165 | 2.6 | 6.1 | 7.3 | ENE | 4.8 | -0.3 |
| 16:00 | 165 | 2.5 | 6.1 | 7.1 | ESE | 4.7 | -1.6 |
| 18:00 | 165 | 2.5 | 6.1 | 6.6 | SE | 4.9 | -2.3 |
| Time | Tide | Height (ft) |
|---|---|---|
| 05:46 | L | -0.1 |
| 12:10 | H | 4.56 |
| 17:51 | L | 0.49 |
We could see some more south wind swell but it’ll be small and the wind won’t be ideal.
Notes: Lower expectations needed than Wednesday
Friday 5/22
Small waves and moderately strong onshore wind that strengthens into mid-morning and early afternoon. Not worth it. Also not that warm out.
Saturday 5/23
Same as Friday
Sunday 5/24
We could see a low form between two areas of high pressure. This would create an east swell with no guarentee of offshore winds. As of right now, there are some major differences in the model outputs with the GFS being far more bullish on this setup. At this point, I want to say that there should be something in the way of waves, but the wind forecast is likely to be imperfect.
Note that although we see the majority of the swell generated on Sunday, it’s likely that conditions aren’t going to come together until Monday/Tuesday (and more likely Tuesday).
Notes: Check back later.
All data sourced from NOAA NWPS and GFS Wave
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NOAA New York Harbor Entrance Buoy