Jones Beach State Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: Jones Beach State Park is having a proper drought for most of this 16-day run. We’re looking at a solid week and a half of pretty ordinary conditions before anything even starts to look surfable.

For the first week, from Wednesday the 19th through to Friday the 28th of August, it’s a write-off. The water is sitting at a balmy 74°F, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year – you could have a nice swim, but for waves? Forget it. We’ve got tiny swells, messy winds, and the combined energy never breaks 60. The morning of the 22nd has a gusty cross-onshore hitting 19 mph, with a weak, short-period 3ft swell from the ESE – that’s choppy and lumpy, not worth the paddle out. Even when we get a little offshore flow, the swell is just too small to do anything with.

Now, the pattern finally changes on Saturday the 29th of August. The morning shows some life with a clean 2ft, 8-second swell from the SE, and a moderate offshore wind from the WNW at 12 mph. The combined wave energy climbs to 65 (moderate), and the conditions are described as "clean". It’s not going to blow your mind, but after ten days of nothing, it’s a welcome sight. The wind stays favourable into the afternoon, with a cross-off breeze keeping things tidy, although the swell remains on the small side.

Sunday the 30th keeps the hope alive. The morning has that classic clean feel: light offshore winds and a 2ft, 8-second SE swell. The energy is still low (54), but with hardly a breath of wind, the surface will be glassy. It’s a beginner-friendly morning, that’s for sure. The afternoon, however, gets ruined by a cross-onshore breeze, so make the most of the early session.

Moving into the new week, Monday the 31st sees a jump in energy to 153 (moderate), with a 3ft, 7-second E swell, but the morning is a light cross-shore, and the afternoon is a lumpy onshore mess. Tuesday the 1st of September is a similar story, but by the afternoon a cross-off wind from the west cleans it up again, with 2ft and 8-second SE swell and a combined energy of 147. Wednesday the 2nd of September morning is the real standout of this whole sorry outlook. We get a clean 3ft swell from the SE with a period of 11 seconds – that’s some proper long-period groundswell pushing in. The wind is a light cross-off from the north, and the combined energy hits 157. This is a classic setup: longer period means more shape and power, and those longer gaps between sets make it easier to get out back. With the consistent offshore component, it should be peeling nicely for an intermediate surfer. Crowds are possible here, so expect a few locals to be out for this one.

The last few days of the forecast trail off, with a strong onshore blast on the 3rd of September making a mess of things again. The truth is, this is a patch that doesn’t produce much. We get a couple of decent mornings, and the 2nd of September morning is the clear pick. Take it or leave it.

Signing off, Rusty

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