Manasquan Inlet Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for the Jersey Shore. We’ve got a long stretch of tiny, messy swell and poor conditions, so don’t be expecting any hero sessions.

We’re looking at a solid week of nothing worth paddling out for. The first real chance to even *think* about getting wet isn’t until Sunday the 23rd of August. Before that, from Wednesday the 19th right through Saturday the 22nd, it’s all ankle-biters and onshore junk. Winds are mostly cross or onshore, keeping the surface a mess. The combined energy readings are all under 100 (28 to 84), which is just weak.

The first glimmer of hope comes on Sunday morning the 23rd at Manasquan Inlet. It’s still not a classic, with a 2ft swell from the SE and a period of just 6 seconds – that’s short period windswell, not much grunt in it. The combined energy is only 61. But the wind is glassy from the north, so it’s clean. The report says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." It’s a 1 out of 10, so keep the expectations low. It’s an advanced spot and very consistent, but on a day like this, it’s just a chance to get the board wet.

After that Sunday morning tease, things go back downhill. Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th are back to poor surf with tiny waves and cross or onshore wind. The swell period gets longer on the 25th (11 seconds), but it’s only 1ft, so not enough to do anything with.

The energy picks up a bit around Thursday the 27th of August, with the combined energy hitting 116 and 165 on the afternoon, but the swell is still only 2ft. The wind is a fresh cross-onshore from the NE, making it lumpy and choppy. The period is a decent 12 seconds on Thursday afternoon, indicating some groundswell, but the size just isn’t there and the wind is ruining it. The forecast keeps saying "poor surf conditions." This is the kind of setup that’s more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The rest of the run into early September is more of the same: tiny swell, poor conditions, and unfavourable winds. There’s a brief moment on Tuesday the 1st of September morning with a 0.7ft, 15-second period swell and offshore wind from the west, but it’s too small to matter. The afternoon of the 1st of September is glassy with a 1ft, 14-second period swell and a combined energy of 71, reading "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." That’s the best of a bad bunch for the second week, but it’s still tiny.

Honestly, there’s no standout in this 16-day window. The best you can hope for is a clean, glassy morning on the 23rd of August or the 1st of September, but with knee-high waves. Keep the board in the car and the wax in the bag for now. This is a normal blank run for the area – sometimes it’s just flat.

Rusty.

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