LBI Long Beach Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a good hard look at what LBI's got cookin' for the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, it's a pretty bleak run for LBI. We're looking at a long stretch of days with hardly any surf worth paddling out for. The first week and a half is basically a write-off, with wave energy barely registering above 100 (weak to moderate energy at best) and most of the swell being short-period, choppy junk. There's a gap that runs all the way from now until the final week of August and into early September where there's hardly a decent wave to be found.

Now, let's get down to it. The first time we see something that could be considered a session is on Wednesday, August 26th in the morning. It’s at LBI Long Beach Island, a sandbar setup exposed to the SE. The water temp is sitting at 79°F, which is a massive 6°F warmer than normal for this time of year – the ocean is properly weird and warm, feels more like the Gulf Stream than the Jersey Shore. We're only looking at about 1ft of swell from the ENE with a period of 10 seconds. The energy is weak (46) and the wave comment says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." The wind is a glassy 3 mph from the south, so the surface will be clean as a whistle, but the lack of size is the killer. It’s a beginner-friendly wave but only because there’s barely any push. This isn't a standout by any means.

Things don't really improve through the rest of that week. The morning of Friday, August 28th is another "surfable but ordinary" day, with 1ft from the ESE and 9-second period under clean cross-offshore winds. The afternoon shows a slight bump in energy to 116 (moderate) with 3ft from the SSE, but still, it’s not exactly going to have you sprinting for the car. The wind is light and cross-off, so it'll look tidy, but the size is just too small to get excited about.

As we push into the first week of September, the swell starts to get a little more oomph in the energy department, but the conditions remain poor. Tuesday, September 1st, the afternoon sees a 2ft southeast swell with a very long period of 15 seconds and energy hitting 152 (moderate), but the onshore wind is a fresh 19 mph from the south-southwest. That’s just lumpy, messy, and not worth your time unless you’re into kite surfing. It's a beach setup, so that stiff cross-onshore wind is going to tear it up.

The closest thing to a potential window is on Wednesday, September 2nd. The morning shows 2ft from the southeast with a 12-second period and a solid 185 energy reading (moderate). The wind is light and cross-offshore from the west-southwest, making for a clean surface. For LBI, this is probably the best on offer across the whole run: clean conditions and a bit of groundswell energy. But even then, the wave comment just calls it "surfable but very ordinary." It’s a small wave.

Thursday, September 3rd shows a bit more size, with 4ft from the east-southeast in the morning, but the period drops to 6 seconds (short-period wind chop) and the wind is howling cross-shore from the northeast at 16 mph. That's a choppy, blown-out mess. Too big for beginners? Not really. Too ugly for anyone? Yes.

After that, it fades again into nothingness for the final days of the outlook.

The Bottom Line: There are no true standouts here. The best you can hope for is a marginal, clean session on the morning of September 2nd or August 28th on a longboard. If you’re a beginner, the tiny, glassy morning on August 26th is the safest bet. For everyone else, it’s a waiting game. Forecasts change, but right now? It’s a quiet spell.

Stay patient,
Rusty

Read more