Seaside Heights Webcam – Boardwalk, Dunes and Ocean

The Seaside Heights Webcam watches the north end of the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, where a sandy path crosses the dunes from the planks to the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. It is a moving camera. Every few minutes it swings between a view east past a metal-roofed wooden pavilion and over the dune grass to the surf, a closer look at the pavilion roof with the beach beyond it, and a long view south down the boardwalk toward the amusement rides of Casino Pier. On a warm afternoon people sit on the pavilion benches and bikes lean against the railings, while gulls settle on the open sand below the dunes. The operator bills the stream as a surf report as well as a beach cam, running it 24 hours a day for waves, tides and storm coverage on the Jersey Shore.

About Seaside Heights

Seaside Heights is a small borough on the Barnegat Peninsula, the barrier strip in Ocean County that separates Barnegat Bay from the Atlantic. It covers 1.92 square kilometers (0.74 square miles) in total, only 1.60 square kilometers (0.62 square miles) of it land, and the 2020 census counted 2,440 residents. The borough was incorporated on February 26, 1913, from parts of Berkeley Township and Dover Township, which is now Toms River. Ortley Beach lies to the north and Seaside Park to the south.

The boardwalk is what made the name. Casino Pier opened in 1932 and reaches about 100 meters (300 feet) into the ocean, roughly half a kilometer (a third of a mile) south of the camera. Hurricane Sandy tore sections off the piers on October 29, 2012, and dropped Casino Pier’s Star Jet roller coaster into the Atlantic. On September 12, 2013, a ten-alarm fire swept the boardwalk, and Funtown Pier, at the southern end in Seaside Park, is no longer operating. Casino Pier came back, and a 2017 expansion added the Hydrus roller coaster and a Ferris wheel. The town had already been on national television by then, as MTV filmed the first season of Jersey Shore here in August 2009.

Going by the coordinates on the operator’s page, the camera stands near Sampson Avenue, at the quieter northern stretch of the boardwalk. The east view centers on a pavilion with a pale metal roof, wooden posts, benches and an information panel. To its left, a fenced sandy path runs out over the dune toward the water, with signs at its head that ban dogs and tell beachgoers to go indoors when thunder roars. White lamp posts with double bell shades line the planks. In the south view, colored benches run along the ocean railing, a shop’s clothing racks sit at the right edge, and pedal surreys roll past.

Weather and Climate in Seaside Heights

Averages for 1981 to 2010 give July a high of 28.6 C (83.4 F) and a low of 19.3 C (66.8 F), and summer is the season when the pavilion benches and the beach below the dunes are most likely to be full. January averaged 4.7 C (40.5 F) by day and minus 3.8 C (25.2 F) at night. Spring and fall sit between those two extremes.

Water temperature lags the air. The sea averages about 2.2 C (36 F) in January and peaks around 22.2 C (72 F) in August, so late summer is the warmest time to swim. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. Coastal storms in fall and winter can push the surf higher up the beach, which is when the surf report side of this stream earns its name and the view over the dunes is worth checking.

Things to Do Near Seaside Heights

Casino Pier is the obvious first stop, a short walk south along the boardwalk from the camera. Its rides include Hydrus and the Ferris wheel added in 2017, and the Sky Ride, a Borvig chairlift operating since 1983, carries riders about 3 to 3.7 meters (10 to 12 feet) above the boardwalk. Breakwater Beach, the pier’s water park across the street, has slides and a wave pool for a day out of the sea. The boardwalk itself is lined with arcades, game stands and places to eat.

For a quieter coast, drive south through Seaside Park to Island Beach State Park, which begins where Seaside Park ends and runs to Barnegat Inlet. It covers 3,003 acres (1,215 hectares) and is the largest reserve of undeveloped barrier island in New Jersey. The state bought it in 1953 from the estate of Henry Phipps Jr. Swimming, kayaking and fishing are allowed in parts of the park, four wheel drive vehicles can go onto the beach with a permit, and a nature center sits 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) inside the entrance. On the bay side, the Sedge Island Marine Conservation Zone protects about 1,600 acres (6 square kilometers) of tidal marsh, creeks and ponds.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More cameras along the Jersey Shore, from boardwalks to bird nests:

• Manasquan Webcam
• Atlantic City Boardwalk Webcam
• Ocean City NJ Webcam
• Barnegat Light Osprey Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Seaside Heights located?

Seaside Heights is in Ocean County, New Jersey, on the Barnegat Peninsula between Barnegat Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. It borders Ortley Beach, part of Toms River, to the north and Seaside Park to the south, with the Toms River mainland across the bay.

What can you see on the Seaside Heights Webcam?

The camera turns between preset views at the north end of the boardwalk: east past a metal-roofed pavilion and a dune crossing to the beach and ocean, a close view over the pavilion roof to the surf line, and south along the boardwalk toward the rides of Casino Pier.

Why does the Seaside Heights Webcam keep changing its view?

It is a pan and tilt camera on a tour of preset positions, cycling through them every few minutes. For part of each cycle it can point at the siding of a neighboring building before moving on, so wait a minute or two if the frame shows a wall.

What is the weather like in Seaside Heights?

Summers are warm, with July averaging a high of 28.6 C (83.4 F), and winters are cold, with January averaging 4.7 C (40.5 F) by day and minus 3.8 C (25.2 F) at night.

How warm is the ocean at Seaside Heights?

The water averages about 2.2 C (36 F) in January and reaches about 22.2 C (72 F) in August, its warmest month.

What happened to the Seaside Heights boardwalk during Hurricane Sandy?

Sandy came ashore on October 29, 2012, tore sections off both amusement piers and sent Casino Pier’s Star Jet roller coaster into the ocean. A ten-alarm fire then swept the boardwalk on September 12, 2013. Casino Pier has since been rebuilt and expanded.

Who operates the Seaside Heights beach cam?

NJ Beach Cams runs the stream, with streaming by Coastal Camera Network. The same operator has several other cameras along the Seaside Heights boardwalk on its own site.

Source: NJ Beach Cams