Manasquan Inlet Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, let’s talk about what’s going on at Manasquan Inlet. Over the next 16 days, honestly, it’s a pretty grim outlook for surfers. We’ve got a long stretch of poor conditions with only a couple of moments that might get you out of the water without shaking your head.

Right now, on Wednesday, August 26th, the morning starts with glassy conditions and a tiny 1.0ft swell from the ESE, but the energy is weak at just 23. The water temperature is sitting at 75°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. But honestly, that’s the only highlight — the surf is basically flat and not worth paddling out for.

The next few days through to the end of August are a write-off. Winds are mostly cross or onshore, swell stays below 1ft, and the combined energy is barely registering. We’re looking at a gap of several days with no real surf on offer.

We start to see a tiny pulse around Friday, August 28th, with a morning clean 2ft swell from the ESE, but it’s still very ordinary and only scores a 1. The energy is a bit more moderate at 106, but nothing to write home about.

Then it’s back to flatness through the weekend and into the start of September. The wind is offshore and glassy at times, but the swell is pathetic — 1.0ft or 1ft with combined energy as low as 14. That’s barely a ripple.

The first real standout in this entire forecast doesn’t show up until Tuesday, September 8th. That morning brings a 4ft swell from the SSE with a short period of 6 seconds. The wind is offshore from the WNW, and the combined energy is a moderate 129. The afternoon is slightly better with 5ft swell and clean offshore winds from the WSW, energy at 153. This is the best we’re going to get. But keep in mind, this is a long-range call — promising but less certain. The swell direction is a little off from the optimum SSE for this spot, but it’s still surfable. The short period means the waves won’t have much power, but it’s the only time in the whole 16 days where you might actually get a couple of turns.

After that, it fades again. September 9th sees some rain and a drop back to 3ft from the SE, and by September 10th the wind is howling offshore at 35 km/h but the swell is just 1ft. Not worth it.

So here’s the bottom line: don’t hold your breath. There’s a huge gap of flat, poor surf from now until early September. The only real window is September 8th, with clean, offshore winds and a 4ft to 5ft SSW swell. It’s not a classic, but it’s the closest thing we’ll get to a surf this month. For the rest of the time, it’s more of a kite-surfing setup if the wind picks up. Stay patient, and check back on that September 8th window.

Rusty.

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