Today's Long Beach Island ocean temperature, tide times from Barnegat Light through Holgate, surf height, UV index, rip-current risk, and live beach cameras — updated in real time for the whole island: Barnegat Light, Loveladies, North Beach, Harvey Cedars, Surf City, Ship Bottom, Brant Beach, Beach Haven, and Holgate.
Today's Long Beach Island ocean temperature is shown live below, read from the nearest NOAA water-temperature sensor (Atlantic City). Water temps on LBI climb through the summer — typically low-to-mid 60s°F in June, up to the low 70s°F in July and August, and often warmest after a stretch of south wind.
Long-term NOAA averages for the ocean off Long Beach Island (Atlantic City sensor, the closest to LBI). Today's live reading is in the tile above. The ocean is warmest in August and swimmable for most people from late June through September; early summer often runs colder than visitors expect.
| Month | Avg ocean temp |
|---|---|
| January | 37°F |
| February | 35°F |
| March | 42°F |
| April | 48°F |
| May | 56°F |
| June | 63°F |
| July | 70°F |
| August | 73°F |
| September | 70°F |
| October | 61°F |
| November | 53°F |
| December | 44°F |
Source: NOAA National Oceanographic Data Center, Coastal Water Temperature Guide — Atlantic City, NJ. Individual days vary several degrees with wind: sustained south wind can upwell cold bottom water even in July.
Today's high tide and low tide times for Long Beach Island are charted below — the ocean (oceanfront) tide first, then the back-bay tide, which runs on a different schedule. Tide times shift about 50 minutes later each day.
Live wave height, period, and direction for Long Beach Island come from the offshore NDBC Barnegat buoy (44091). When the buoy is reporting, the current reading appears below; check rip-current risk above before you get in.
Long Beach Island has semi-diurnal tides — two high tides and two low tides roughly every 24 hours and 50 minutes, so each day's tide times shift about 50 minutes later than the day before. There are two very different tides to watch on a barrier island. The ocean (oceanfront) tide is what surfers, swimmers, and anglers care about; the bay (back-bay) tide runs on the Barnegat Bay side and matters for boating, paddling, clamming, and flooding.
The two are not in sync: the bay tide typically lags the ocean tide and has a smaller range, because water has to flow in and out through Barnegat Inlet at the north end and Little Egg Inlet at the south. That's why we show the ocean and bay tide charts separately above — a low ocean tide does not mean low water in the bay. Tide heights also run higher around the new and full moon (spring tides) and lower at the quarter moons (neap tides).
Most LBI flooding is back-bay flooding on the bay side, not ocean overwash. On the highest tides of the month — especially when a high tide lines up with a strong, persistent onshore or northeast wind, or a coastal storm — bay water can push up over the lowest-lying streets and the Route 72 Causeway approach in Ship Bottom, the island's main on-and-off point. This is sometimes called "sunny-day" or nuisance flooding because it can happen with clear skies, purely from tide and wind.
The practical rule for residents and day-trippers: check the bay high-tide time above and the wind before you plan your drive on or off the island, and give the causeway extra time around a bay high tide during a wind event. For official warnings, always check the latest National Weather Service coastal-flood statements and our LBI alerts page.
Today's Long Beach Island ocean temperature is shown live at the top of this page, read from the nearest NOAA sensor (Atlantic City). LBI water temps are typically in the low-to-mid 60s°F in June and reach the low 70s°F in July and August.
Today's high tide times are in the ocean and bay tide charts above, from NOAA stations. LBI gets two high tides roughly every 24 hours and 50 minutes, so high tide arrives about 50 minutes later each day than the day before.
Today's low tide times are charted above. Low tide comes about 6 hours and 12 minutes after each high tide — two lows per day — and the whole cycle shifts roughly 50 minutes later each day. The back-bay low lags the ocean low, so check the chart for the side you care about.
Long-term NOAA averages for the ocean off LBI: about 63°F in June, 70°F in July, 73°F in August (the warmest month), and 70°F in September, dropping to the mid 30s°F in late winter. The full month-by-month table is above.
Yes — live wave height, period, and direction from the offshore NDBC Barnegat buoy (44091) appear in the surf section above when the buoy is reporting, alongside the island-wide NWS rip-current risk.
Tides and water temperature are essentially the same up and down the island, but badge prices, lifeguard hours, and beach rules differ by town. Pick yours:
