North Shore
Nahant surf report
11.8ft
Epic — 11.8 ft.
Sunday, September 27 · local time at the spot
Right now
Swell
11.8 ft
10 s · ENE78°
Wind
25.3 kt
NE 50° · gusting 31.1 kt
Water temperature
60.3°F
15.7 °C
Daylight
6:36 AM
sunrise · sunset 6:32 PM
Rip current risk
High risk
Life threatening rip currents are likely.
NWS surf forecast: 12–13 ft (today, Eastern Essex)
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 12:12 PM (10.273 ft)
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 6:01 AM | low | -0.066 ft |
| 12:12 PM | high | 10.273 ft |
| 6:26 PM | low | -0.529 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 11 ft | s | |
| Mon | 7.3 ft | 8.3 s | WSW 251° |
| Tue | 2.9 ft | 8.1 s | W 268° |
| Wed | 2.5 ft | 8.6 s | W 261° |
| Thu | 1.7 ft | 8.6 s | W 271° |
| Fri | 1.1 ft | 8.1 s | W 276° |
A model computes; it does not observe. Accuracy drops with range, and nearshore transformation is where it is weakest.
What to wear
At 60.3 °F (15.7 °C), most people at Nahant are comfortable in a 4/3 mm full suit.
4/3 mm
for 58–62 °F
- Boots help on longer sessions
Below 60 °F most people want their feet covered before their hands.
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
- Exposed rocky point and beach break
- Best swell
- NE to E groundswell
- Best wind
- Offshore W
- Tide
- Mid tide
- Level
- Intermediate to advanced
Hazards
- Rocks
- Cold water
- Powerful in northeast swells
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 9:39 AM
- NDBC 44013 buoy wind · read 9:10 AM
- NOAA WaveWatch III 44013 model cycle 20260927 6z · model · read 9:39 AM
- NDBC 44013 buoy wave height · read 8:50 AM
- NOAA CO-OPS 8443187 tide predictions · read 9:39 AM
- NWS Surf Zone Forecast BOX zone MAZ007 · read 4:09 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
- Nantasket Beach 11.8 ft · 15 km
- Hampton Beach 11.2 ft · 54 km
- Jenness Beach 11.2 ft · 68 km
- Oceanside 3 ft · 4155 km
- Rincon 3.6 ft · 4266 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.