Island Beach State Park
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
47Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 4 ft swell at 7 s, 4 hours of offshore wind
Mon 2 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 s
- Energy
- 15kJ
- Wind
- W 5 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tue 3 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 s
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Wed 4 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 s
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- SSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 s
- Energy
- 83kJ
- Wind
- SSW 10 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 61 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 s
- Energy
- 170kJ
- Wind
- WNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 78 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 s
- Energy
- 140kJ
- Wind
- NW 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 s
- Energy
- 65kJ
- Wind
- NNE 8 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 115, too small
- Mon 213, too small
- Tue 315, too small
- Wed 49, too small
- Thu 552, fair
- Fri 661, good
- Sat 778, good
- Sun 836, too small
- Mon 914, too small
- Tue 109, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 15, too small | 1 ft5 s2 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 13°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | offshorewind from the west, 5 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 15, too small | 1 ft8 s2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 4 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft9 s2 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 3 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 52, fair | 3 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 10 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 61, good | 5 ft7 s5 ft at break (est.) | 170kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 3 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 78, good | 4 ft7 s5 ft at break (est.) | 140kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 7 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 36, too small | 2 ft8 s4 ft at break (est.) | 65kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 8 knots | 13°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft7 s3 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 9 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 9, too small | 3 ft7 s4 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 18 knots | 18°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovLow 05:44 −0.5 mHigh 12:10 +0.8 mLow 18:47 −0.6 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:59 +0.5 mLow 06:56 −0.5 mHigh 13:18 +0.7 mLow 19:51 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:08 +0.6 mLow 08:08 −0.5 mHigh 14:24 +0.7 mLow 20:50 −0.6 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Island Beach State Park on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Tices Sholls 1.9 km away
- Midway Beach 8.8 km away
- Seaside Park, NJ 9.2 km away
- Seaside Park 10.8 km away
- Demikes 11.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Island Beach State Park
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (98°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (278°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea is about 6°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 24°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Seaside Park. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot, 1 dive site and 1 kayak spot.
Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,100–US$1,960 each
about US$1,100–US$1,960 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to EWR, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$154–US$328 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$147–US$241 |
| Total | about US$1,100–US$1,960 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Seaside Park
19 min by car · 52 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Seaside Park its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest beds: Seaside Park, 11 km (about 20 min by car)
About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 5h 40m
About 5h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → EWR, direct, then 1h 50m by road
Flights MDW → EWR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.