Manasquan Inlet Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about the next couple of weeks at Manasquan Inlet.

To be straight with you, this stretch is looking pretty grim for a solid paddle. There’s nothing on the table right now that I’d get genuinely excited about. We’ve got a long run of tiny or messy conditions to work through, so it’s a good week for a board waxing session or chasing the tide for a swim, not a proper surf.

Right out the gate, Friday morning the 11th is a non-starter: a tiny 1 ft SSE windswell with a weak 6-second period. There's barely any energy in the water (21) and it’s got a cross-shore wind ruining it. That same story pretty much holds through all of this first week – Saturday, Sunday, Monday… just dribbly stuff, mostly under 3 ft, and the wind is constantly shifting from cross to cross-onshore, keeping it choppy and weak. You’ll get a slight break Sunday morning the 13th with a clean window if the WSW offshore holds, but it’s still only 3 ft of weak, short-period (6 second) surf. It's surfable, but nothing to drive for.

The real kicker comes around Friday the 18th and into the next week. We start seeing some swell size pop on Friday the 18th afternoon with 5 ft from the ENE, and the combined energy jumps up to (162) – moderate energy – but the wind is a nasty cross-onshore at 16 mph. It's just choppy, poor quality stuff. Saturday morning the 19th sees the swell hold at 4 ft from the ENE with higher energy (280), and a light N crosswind. It’s still only a marginal situation. Saturday afternoon cleans up a bit with light SSW cross-off wind, but the swell is already dropping back to 3 ft.

The last few days of the run get bigger but uglier. Tuesday the 22nd has 4-4 ft from the east with onshore winds, and Wednesday the 23rd kicks up a strong breeze, making a mess of 3 ft surf. The combined energy on Tuesday afternoon hits a solid (205), but the onshore wind keeps it poor for surf. This setup with strong winds and a beach/jetty break might be more interesting if you’re into kite-surfing than a standard paddle session.

The closest we come to a standout is Saturday morning the 26th of September. A WNW offshore breeze at 19 mph will clean things right up, and we’ve got a 3 ft swell from the ESE with a long period of 12 seconds – that’s a proper groundswell. Combined energy is (240), which is moderate but feels punchy. That long period means better-shaped waves and longer lulls between sets, which makes paddling out easier, though at a beach break it can get a little straight. It's only a marginal score, but it's honestly the best window in the whole outlook. It’s over a week away, so keep an eye on it.

So, overall: a long, flat, and messy gap for the next 10 days, with a single promising but distant clean window on the 26th. Don't hold your breath, but don't write it off completely yet.

- Rusty

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