Manasquan Inlet Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I won’t sugar‑coat it – the next couple of weeks are a flat, frustrating stretch for the Manasquan Inlet area. We’ve got a long dry spell ahead with barely a ripple on offer.

The first real chance to even think about paddling out doesn’t show up until Thursday the 3rd, and even then it’s pretty ordinary. Thursday morning sees a light WSW offshore breeze around 15 mph, with a small 0.7 ft swell shuffling in from the ESE (period just 6 seconds). The combined energy is weak (74), so you’re looking at tiny, weak waves that are surfable but nothing to write home about. The offshore wind will keep the surface clean, but the lack of size and power means it’s only for the most desperate loggers. That continues into the afternoon with similar 0.6 ft ESE swell and still clean.

Friday the 4th stays small. Morning brings a 0.4 ft SE swell with a touch more period (8 seconds) and light NW cross-off wind – clean again, but tiny. Afternoon is glassy but the waves drop even further.

Saturday the 5th is just sad – 0.2 ft ESE swell both sessions, clean but basically no surf. Sunday the 6th through to the middle of the second week sees onshore and cross‑onshore winds with even smaller, choppier waves. The whole thing is a write‑off until we get a brief glimmer on Sunday the 13th.

So, the one standout – and I use the term loosely – is that Sunday afternoon the 13th. After a long run of poor conditions, we finally get a glassy window with a 0.5 ft S swell (6‑second period) and the combined energy is a low 41. The wind goes glass, with an ENE breeze so light it’s nearly calm. The waves are still marginal, but for a few hours it’ll be the cleanest we’ve seen in over a week. Don’t expect much – it’s surfable but very ordinary, and the short period means it’ll be soft. Still, if you’re desperate for a paddle, that’s your moment.

Monday the 14th and Tuesday the 15th offer a couple more clean offshore sessions, but the swell remains undersized (0.4‑0.8 ft) and weak. Nothing here will get your heart racing.

Water temp? No anomaly data in the file, so we’ll just say it’s what you’d expect for early September in Jersey – still warm enough for a shorty.

Bottom line: this is a long, flat run. The only half‑decent surf comes on Sunday the 13th, and that’s a glassy, tiny windowsill. Don’t plan a trip around it. I’d be looking for a different hobby for the next fortnight.

Rusty.

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