Sands
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
58Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 4 ft swell at 8 s, 4 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 s
- Energy
- 12kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 s
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 s
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- S 6 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 s
- Energy
- 88kJ
- Wind
- SSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 s
- Energy
- 89kJ
- Wind
- WNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 83 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 s
- Energy
- 167kJ
- Wind
- WNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Mon 9 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 s
- Energy
- 96kJ
- Wind
- W 0 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 211, too small
- Tue 316, too small
- Wed 412, too small
- Thu 525, too small
- Fri 665, good
- Sat 771, good
- Sun 883, good
- Mon 957, fair
- Tue 1030, too small
- Wed 1111, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 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.
Sands does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft8 s2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the south, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft8 s2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 4 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft6 s2 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | wind from the south, 6 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 65, good | 4 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.) | 88kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 71, good | 3 ft7 s4 ft at break (est.) | 89kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 83, good | 4 ft8 s5 ft at break (est.) | 167kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 14°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 57, fair | 3 ft8 s4 ft at break (est.) | 96kJ | offshorewind from the west, 0 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft7 s3 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 11 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft8 s2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | offshorewind from the west, 11 knots, offshore | 11°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
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:50 +0.6 mLow 06:51 −0.5 mHigh 13:10 +0.8 mLow 19:41 −0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:00 +0.6 mLow 08:02 −0.5 mHigh 14:18 +0.7 mLow 20:41 −0.7 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:03 +0.7 mLow 09:09 −0.6 mHigh 15:20 +0.7 mLow 21:35 −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.
Best time to go
best Sep–Oct
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
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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, its town, photos
Sands on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Sands
Live webcam
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Live webcam
Shrewsbury River at Sea Bright, 5 km away
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More surf near here
5 places
- Monmouth beach 1.9 km away
- Seven Presidents 2.7 km away
- Pavilion Ave, Long Branch 3.8 km away
- Sea Bright 4.6 km away
- The Pit 5.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Sands
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (103°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (283°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 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; in July, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Long Branch, 2.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 1 wind sports 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$1,970 each
about US$1,100–US$1,970 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 2 November 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$329 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$302–US$503 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$637 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$148–US$242 |
| Total | about US$1,100–US$1,970 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 3 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Monmouth Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Long Branch on Booking.com
about 5 min by car · 11 places to stay
- Beds in Sea Bright on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 1 place to stay
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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 5h
About 5h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → EWR, direct, then 1h 10m by road
Flights MDW → EWR on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.