First Encounter Beach
Massachusetts · United States
Rating right now
First Encounter Beach is a W-facing sand beach on the United States shoreline, opening onto the James Bay — it catches SW–NW swell, and offshore NE–SE winds tidy the banks through april–october.
Today's surf at First Encounter Beach
Updated 23:52 spot time
First Encounter Beach surf report for Wednesday 30 Sept: waves 1 ft–1.5 ft knee to waist high, 1 ft E swell at 7.2 s. Wind up to 5 mph W. Water 60°F. Best surf window around 5:00 PM — fun (2.5/5) with 3 mph SSW wind.
Snapshot refreshed hourly — the live hourly forecast below updates in real time.
10-day forecast
Local time · updates hourly
Wave height & period
Wind
| Time | Rating | Waves | Swell | Wind | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Water temperature by month
This month: ~14.6°C (58.3°F) on average
Jan
5.6°C
42.1°F · 3.3–7.7°C
Feb
3.9°C
39°F · 2.8–5.4°C
Mar
4.1°C
39.4°F · 1.9–6.1°C
Apr
6.3°C
43.3°F · 3.9–9.9°C
May
10.3°C
50.5°F · 7.5–14.9°C
Jun
15.2°C
59.4°F · 9.8–18.4°C
Jul
19.3°C
66.7°F · 16.2–22.7°C
Aug
20.4°C
68.7°F · 17.3–22.5°C
Sep
18.6°C
65.5°F · 15.4–21.5°C
Oct
14.6°C
58.3°F · 11–17.8°C
Nov
10.8°C
51.4°F · 8.8–14.5°C
Dec
7.9°C
46.2°F · 5.8–10.2°C
25-year monthly averages from the NOAA OISST satellite record — typical range min–max, not a live reading.
Know before you go
Best swell
SW–NW
Best wind
NE–SE
Break type
Beach break
Best season
April–October
Safety: Friendly by surf standards, but rip currents and drop-in etiquette still apply. Shifting sandbars create moving rip currents — learn to spot them and use them to get out back.
Nearby spots
Herring Brook Beach
Massachusetts · United States
Herring Pond Beach
Massachusetts · United States
Rock Harbor Beach
Massachusetts · United States
Wiley Park Beach
Massachusetts · United States
Skaket Beach
Massachusetts · United States
Thumpertown Beach
Massachusetts · United States
More beaches in Massachusetts →see all spots in Massachusetts, United States
New to reading forecasts?
Two short guides that make the numbers above make sense.