When Bob Dylan wrote famously that "you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows," he wasn't trying to get an Ocean City beach report from the mainland.

Otherwise, he would know that you need a weatherman and more — preferably a friend on the beach with a cell phone.

But a growing collection of video cameras are now pointed at Ocean City beaches, boardwalks and roads, and they provide the next best thing to eyewitness reports: live images delivered across the Internet in real time to homes anywhere in the world.

The beach cams provide vital information on weather and surf conditions on a barrier island that has a climate of its own. Depending on ocean temperature and the wind, Ocean City's weather conditions can differ dramatically from that of mainland towns only a few miles away. The weather can even change as visitors cross the island from Bay Avenue to the beach.

AtTheShore.com — a site for real estate resources on the Jersey Shore — recently completed a major expansion in its arsenal of cams.

A "9th Street Beach" cam offers a good view of beach, ocean and sky from Playland's Pier 9 at 948 Boardwalk. A cam at Bob's Grill provides a similar glimpse that includes the 14th Street Pier (and its wind sock). A camera mounted on the Double Shot thrill ride at Playland's Castaway Cove shows a view of traffic on the new Ninth Street Bridge. Other cameras are pointed at a variety of sites on the beach and boardwalk:

• 10th & Boardwalk (south)
• 10th & Boardwalk (north)
• Double Shot Cam
• Double Shot Cam II
• 3rd Street Beach
• 3rd Street Boardwalk
• Bobs Grill Hot Dog Stand
• Bobs Grill Counter Cam
• 14th Street Fishing Pier
• 14th Street Boardwalk
• Golden Galleon Golf 19th Hole
• Golden Galleon Golf Gator
• Golden Galleon Golf Cannon Deck
• Pier 9 Golf
• Curlys Food Court
• 9th and Boardwalk
• 9th Street Beach
• Wildwood Boardwalk I
• Wildwood Boardwalk II
• Wildwood Boardwalk III
• Wildwood Boardwalk IV

The equipment represents a significant investment, according to Jim Ginn, who owns and operates AtTheShore.com. The setup includes a dedicated Internet service line, a web server, cameras and installation, a wireless router and maintenance throughout the year.

The cams are offered purely as an added service to people interested in his real-estate website. This is no charge or subscription fee for anybody to view the cams at any time.

The AtTheShore cams join a handful of other Ocean City cameras that have been popular resources over the years:

• Heritage Surf sponsors surf cam at Fourth Street that pans the ocean between the Third and Fifth Street jetties: Surf cam
• The Surfers View surf cam at Second Street provides a similar view of the ocean between First and Third streets: Surf cam

Here are some ways to keep tabs on the weather in real time:

• 48th Street: Beach cam
• Ocean water temperature at Atlantic City's Steel Pier
• Bay temperature and tide levels at the Bayside Center (Sixth and Bay) in Ocean City