Casco Bay
Higgins Beach surf report
1.3ft
Small — 1.3 ft.
Thursday, August 13 · local time at the spot
Right now
Swell
1.3 ft
7 s · SSE147°
Wind
1.9 kt
W 260° · gusting 7.8 kt
Water temperature
62.8°F
17.1 °C
Daylight
5:43 AM
sunrise · sunset 7:47 PM
Tide
Currently falling — next low at 6:17 AM (-0.891 ft)
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 6:17 AM | low | -0.891 ft |
| 12:23 PM | high | 9.386 ft |
| 6:30 PM | low | -0.202 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed | 1 ft | 2.9 s | N 11° |
| Thu | 2.1 ft | 4.7 s | NNE 14° |
| Fri | 0.6 ft | 9.4 s | NW 313° |
| Sat | 0.6 ft | 9.1 s | NW 317° |
| Sun | 1.5 ft | s | |
| Mon | 3.3 ft | 6.1 s | NNW 329° |
A model computes; it does not observe. Accuracy drops with range, and nearshore transformation is where it is weakest.
What to wear
At 62.8 °F (17.1 °C), most people at Higgins Beach are comfortable in a 3/2 mm full suit.
3/2 mm
for 62–68 °F
The workhorse of temperate water. 3 mm on the body, 2 mm on the limbs.
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
No cam here yet. We operate no cameras of our own and embed only where the operator allows it — the rule is on the copyright page. Cam operators who would like a link are welcome to write.
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 5:15 AM
- NDBC 44007 buoy wind · read 4:40 AM
- NOAA WaveWatch III 44007 model cycle 20260813 0z · model · read 5:15 AM
- NDBC 44007 buoy wave height · read 4:20 AM
- NOAA CO-OPS 8418445 tide predictions · read 5:15 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 1 ft · 70 km
- Hampton Beach 1 ft · 85 km
- Nahant 0.7 ft · 137 km
- Manasquan 2 ft · 493 km
- Newport Beach 2.6 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.