the beach today
Atlantic Coast Guide

Chincoteague

Home of the Wild Ponies

Everything for a day on the island and Assateague Beach: conditions, the refuge beach lots, a Chincoteague Channel sunset and where to eat oysters after.

Today on the Sand

loading live data…

Water Temp

84°

warm · gentle surf

UV Index

9

very high · 10am–4pm

Beach Crowd

Busy

holiday weekend

Beach Toolkit

Pick Your Sand

north to south

Assateague Beach

Guarded swimming beach in the refuge

$10/day refuge pass

Toms Cove Hook

Shelling & wildlife at the quiet south point

Walk-in · seasonal

Chincoteague NWR

Wildlife loop, wild ponies & the lighthouse

Refuge day-use

Assateague (MD)

National seashore camping beach · north end

Separate entrance

Ocean City, MD

Boardwalk resort beach · 45 min north

Free & metered

Wachapreague

Eastern Shore fishing harbor · barrier isles

Boat access

Dolphin Cruises

Open →

Compare daily sails from the marina — wild dolphins on nearly every trip.

Beyond the Beach

day trips

Wallops Island

10 min west

NASA Flight Facility, visitor center & rocket launches

Ocean City, MD

45 min north

Boardwalk, amusement piers & wide resort beach

Onancock

40 min south

Eastern Shore harbor town, galleries & the Tangier ferry

Assateague, MD

1 hr north

National seashore, camping & more wild horses

see you on the sand

Water temp, surf and UV are live from NOAA & Open-Meteo; sunset is computed locally for Chincoteague. Crowd level is a weekday/weekend estimate.

Right now at Chincoteague, the water is 78°F, surf is running 1–2 ft and the air is 77°F but feels like 81°F. Wind is 7 mph from the S and the UV index peaks at 6 (high) today. Unprotected fair skin burns in about 50 minutes right now, and the strongest stretch runs 12 PM to 3 PM. Today’s tides: High 1:19 AM, Low 7:47 AM, High 1:52 PM, Low 8:50 PM. Dogs are not allowed on this beach.