Casco Bay
Higgins Beach surf report
8.2ft
Epic — 8.2 ft.
Saturday, September 26 · local time at the spot
Right now
Swell
8.2 ft
10 s · SE130°
Wind
19.4 kt
N 10° · gusting 25.3 kt
Water temperature
57.6°F
14.2 °C
Daylight
6:33 AM
sunrise · sunset 6:31 PM
Rip current risk
High risk
Life threatening rip currents are likely.
NWS surf forecast: 8–9 ft (today, Coastal Cumberland)
Every level, including Low, describes currents that can kill — how to spot one from the beach and what to do if you are caught.
Tide
Currently rising — next high at 11:33 AM (9.15 ft)
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 5:31 AM | low | 0.398 ft |
| 11:33 AM | high | 9.15 ft |
| 5:51 PM | low | 0.221 ft |
| 11:53 PM | high | 9.264 ft |
Tide values are predictions. Wind, pressure and surge move the real water level, sometimes by a lot — see the disclaimer.
Forecast
Model output, not a measurement — NOAA WaveWatch III
| Day | Height | Period | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat | 7.4 ft | 10.4 s | WNW 285° |
| Sun | 9.7 ft | 8.8 s | W 266° |
| Mon | 7 ft | 8.1 s | W 270° |
| Tue | 3.1 ft | 5.4 s | WSW 256° |
| Wed | 1.5 ft | 8.8 s | WNW 285° |
| Thu | 1.1 ft | 8.8 s | WNW 289° |
A model computes; it does not observe. Accuracy drops with range, and nearshore transformation is where it is weakest.
What to wear
At 57.6 °F (14.2 °C), most people at Higgins Beach are comfortable in a 4/3 or 5/4 mm full suit with boots.
4/3–5/4 mm
for 52–58 °F
- Boots
- Gloves on a long session
This is where cold stops being a comfort question. Cold shock is a real risk on entry.
The temperature is measured. The suit recommendation is not — it follows the manufacturers' convention, which varies by a degree or two between brands, and it knows nothing about wind, session length or how you personally run. The full chart and what it leaves out.
Surf cam
The break
- Type
- Open beach break at a river mouth
- Best swell
- S to SE summer swell, NE in winter storms
- Best wind
- Offshore NW
- Tide
- Mid tide
- Level
- Beginner to intermediate
Hazards
- Cold water most of the year
- Rip current at the river mouth
- Rocks at the ends of the beach
Local knowledge, not a measurement. Conditions decide the day — check the National Weather Service for warnings and the lifeguards for whether to go in.
Every source behind this page
- Solunar computed · read 8:46 AM
- NDBC 44007 buoy wind · read 8:10 AM
- NOAA WaveWatch III 44007 model cycle 20260926 6z · model · read 8:46 AM
- NDBC 44007 buoy wave height · read 8:10 AM
- NOAA CO-OPS 8418445 tide predictions · read 8:46 AM
- NWS Surf Zone Forecast GYX zone MEZ024 · read 8:41 AM
All of it is public NOAA and National Weather Service data, free for anyone to use. What we add is the pairing of this spot with these stations — see the terms.
Nearby spots
- Jenness Beach 10.2 ft · 70 km
- Hampton Beach 10.2 ft · 85 km
- Nahant 12.8 ft · 137 km
- Manasquan 12.1 ft · 493 km
- Newport Beach 2 ft · 4222 km
Surf and beach conditions change faster than this page does, and nobody watches it in real time. When the water looks different from the numbers, trust the water and the lifeguards.