Staying Home Sucks, home
Sandy Hook Beach at the Gateway National Recreation Area in Highlands, New Jersey
Near Sandy Hook The Cove. Photo: Didier Moïse, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Sandy Hook The Cove

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

46Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sat 7: 4 ft swell at 7 s, 4 hours of offshore wind

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 13 out of 100

Swell
1 ft7 s
Energy
11kJ
Wind
W 6 kn
Temp
17°C

Tue 3 · 15 out of 100

Swell
1 ft7 s
Energy
11kJ
Wind
WSW 3 kn
Temp
17°C

Wed 4 · 9 out of 100

Swell
1 ft7 s
Energy
9kJ
Wind
WSW 3 kn
Temp
18°C

Thu 5 · 25 out of 100

Swell
2 ft7 s
Energy
35kJ
Wind
S 8 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 68 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 s
Energy
130kJ
Wind
SW 5 kn
Temp
18°C

Sat 7 · 80 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 s
Energy
148kJ
Wind
W 9 kn
Temp
13°C

Sun 8 · 45 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 s
Energy
65kJ
Wind
WNW 12 kn
Temp
11°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 118, too small
  2. Mon 213, too small
  3. Tue 315, too small
  4. Wed 49, too small
  5. Thu 525, too small
  6. Fri 668, good
  7. Sat 780, good
  8. Sun 845, fair
  9. Mon 925, too small
  10. Tue 1015, poor

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–11 ftof swell
  • Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
  • Best Sep–Oct2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Sandy Hook The Cove, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov18, too small1 ft8 s2 ft at break (est.)17kJwind from the north, 2 knots13°C
Mon 2Nov13, too small1 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.)11kJwind from the west, 6 knots, offshore17°C
Tue 3Nov15, too small1 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.)11kJwind from the west-south-west, 3 knots, offshore17°C
Wed 4Nov9, too small1 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.)9kJwind from the west-south-west, 3 knots, offshore18°C
Thu 5Nov25, too small2 ft7 s3 ft at break (est.)35kJwind from the south, 8 knots19°C
Fri 6Nov68, good4 ft7 s5 ft at break (est.)130kJwind from the south-west, 5 knots18°C
Sat 7Nov80, good4 ft7 s5 ft at break (est.)148kJwind from the west, 9 knots, offshore13°C
Sun 8Nov45, fair2 ft8 s4 ft at break (est.)65kJwind from the west-north-west, 12 knots, offshore11°C
Mon 9Nov25, too small2 ft8 s3 ft at break (est.)31kJwind from the west, 4 knots, offshore13°C
Tue 10Nov15, poor3 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.)83kJwind from the north-north-east, 18 knots12°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 05:40 −0.6 mHigh 12:00 +0.8 mLow 18:36 −0.7 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 00:50 +0.6 mLow 06:51 −0.6 mHigh 13:09 +0.8 mLow 19:40 −0.7 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 01:59 +0.6 mLow 08:02 −0.6 mHigh 14:16 +0.7 mLow 20:39 −0.7 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.

Map

the spot and its town

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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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Near Sandy Hook The Cove, 2 km away

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More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Sandy Hook The Cove

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces E (101°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (281°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea is about 5°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 24°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually September and October, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Highlands, 1.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf 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$1,030–US$1,840 each

about US$1,030–US$1,840 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to EWR, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$154–US$328
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$80–US$127
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$301–US$502
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$147–US$241
Totalabout US$1,030–US$1,840

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: 3 towns

Closest

Highlands

3 min by car · 8 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 8 places to stay in Highlands · Booking.com

About Highlands its beds, food and every spot near it

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 4h 50m

About 4h 50m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → EWR, direct, then 55 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.