Swimming at Cape May Beach today
Cape May, New Jersey
Updated 3:58 AM EDT
What decides a swimming score
Before you swim
Swim near a staffed lifeguard tower, and check the National Weather Service surf-zone forecast for the official rip-current outlook — we report conditions, we don't forecast rip currents.
Cape May Beach is also scored for
About Cape May Beach
Cape May Beach sits on the New Jersey coast, where the water runs from about 40°F in January to 79°F in July.
The water averages above 70°F in June, July, August and September — 4 months of the year — peaking around 79°F in July and dropping to about 40°F in January.
Today it is 66°F. That is right on the October average of 66°F for this beach.
Tide predictions come from NOAA station Cape May, Atlantic Ocean about 2.6 km away on the open coast.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cape May Beach good for swimming today?
Swimmable, with care — we score it 69 out of 100 today. The limiting factor is water temperature at 66°F.
What makes a good swimming day?
We weight water temperature (40%), surf calmness (25%), uv exposure (15%) and combine them into one score. Conditions we cannot read are left out rather than guessed.
When is the best time of year to swim at Cape May Beach?
The water averages above 70°F in June, July, August and September — 4 months of the year — peaking around 79°F in July and dropping to about 40°F in January.