Surf spot

48th Street (Ocean City)

Forecast conditions and map view for 48th Street (Ocean City) in USA, North East, Virginia. Open the interactive surf map to inspect wind, waves, and nearby spots.

Country: USA, North East, Virginia
Coordinates: 38.3732, -75.0670

Metric
Metric	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00
Wave height (m)	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.4	0.5	0.4	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.6	0.6	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.6	0.8	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.8	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.8	0.7	0.6	0.5	0.5	0.6	0.5	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.3
Wave direction	SSE	ESE	SSE	ENE	E	ESE	E	E	E	SE	SSE	S	S	S	SSE	ESE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SE	SSE	ENE	NE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	E	E	E	E	ENE	E	E	E	E	E	ESE	ESE	ESE	E	E	E	E	E	ESE	E	E	E	E	E	E
Wave period (s)	3.9	7.3	4.8	3	3.1	3.4	3.5	3.2	3.4	4.7	3.5	3.6	3.5	3.6	4.5	6.3	4.7	3.8	4	4.1	5.8	4.5	5	4	4.9	5	5	4.5	4.2	4.3	4.2	5.1	4.4	4.3	4.7	4.8	5	5.1	4.9	5	5.2	5.7	5.6	5.8	5.6	5.3	5.3	5.2	5.2	5	5.1	5	5.3	5.1	5.2	5.3
Wave energy (kJ)	3	7	3	1	2	6	4	5	4	8	8	8	7	5	7	14	8	5	5	5	8	4	2	4	4	9	16	24	17	19	15	25	25	21	21	20	22	30	21	18	12	15	20	19	20	22	20	18	17	13	13	12	10	9	8	6
Wind speed (km/h)	10.9	12.6	14.6	18.9	17.7	17.6	15.8	14.3	9.4	14.4	7.8	10	7.2	5.2	11.2	7.6	8	10.1	17.8	26.6	20.2	21.6	14.9	11.3	15.8	20.2	13.7	21.9	19.2	17.9	15	13.8	11.1	12	13.3	17.1	15.3	13.1	11.2	9	6.8	2.8	5.4	9.4	11.8	11.3	10.2	13	11.6	12.7	13.3	17.2	14.3	21.3	14.5	14.2
Wind direction	EOnshore	EOnshore	ESECross-on	ESECross-on	SECross-on	SECross-on	SECross-on	SSECross	SSWCross-off	SSWCross-off	WSWOffshore	WSWOffshore	WOffshore	SSECross	SCross-off	WSWOffshore	SWCross-off	WOffshore	NNWCross	NCross-on	NCross-on	NCross	NNWCross	NNECross-on	NEOnshore	NEOnshore	NEOnshore	ENEOnshore	ENEOnshore	NEOnshore	ENEOnshore	EOnshore	ENEOnshore	NEOnshore	NEOnshore	ENEOnshore	ENEOnshore	ENEOnshore	EOnshore	EOnshore	ESECross-on	NEGlassy	EOnshore	EOnshore	SECross-on	SSECross	SCross	SCross-off	SSWCross-off	SWOffshore	SWOffshore	WSWOffshore	WNWCross-off	NCross-on	NNECross-on	NECross-on

48th Street (Ocean City) is a well-known surf spot in Ocean City, Maryland, on the U.S. Mid-Atlantic/Northeast coast. It’s a fairly accessible beachbreak that can offer fun waves, especially when a decent swell lines up with offshore winds.

Quick description

Type: Beachbreak
Wave quality: Can range from playful and soft to punchy and hollower depending on sandbars and swell direction
Best for: Intermediate surfers, though beginners can find rideable waves on smaller days
Crowds: Often crowded, especially in summer and on good swell days
Vibe: Busy, classic East Coast beach town surf scene

Conditions

Swell: Usually works best with E/SE swell from Atlantic storms and hurricanes, plus winter nor’easters
Wind: W/NW offshore winds are generally best
Tide: Can be tide-sensitive; conditions change quickly with shifting sandbars

Hazards / notes

Rip currents can be strong
Sandbars shift often, so the break can change from week to week
Crowds and local traffic can be an issue on good days
In summer, beachgoers and swimming zones can limit surfable areas

Best season

Fall and winter usually provide the most consistent and powerful surf
Spring can also be good
Summer tends to be smaller and more inconsistent, though tropical systems can produce excellent surf