Manasquan Inlet Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is a tough one to call, folks. The long-range models are showing some potential late in the game, but for the next week and a half? It’s a flat spell, plain and simple. We’re looking at a solid stretch of barely anything to get excited about, with a few little bumps that are just too small to do anything with.

Let’s start at Manasquan Inlet. The water is sitting at 77°, which is much warmer than what we’d expect for this time of year; a solid 4° above the norm. It’s a weird feeling, warm water with no waves.

From Saturday the 15th all the way through the morning of Monday the 24th, it’s a ghost town. We’re talking over a week of tiny, wind-affected slop. Most of the time the swell is under 2ft, with periods so short they’re just wind chop. The combined energy is laughable, barely cracking 60 in the brackets throughout that whole period. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-shore, and the notes in the file are all saying “poor surf conditions.” It’s a write-off. There’s a brief moment on Monday the 17th morning with a light offshore wind from the West and a 3ft SSE swell, but the period is a weak 6 seconds. It’s “surfable but very ordinary,” and honestly, not worth the paddle.

We finally see a glimmer of hope on Tuesday the 25th. The morning shows a 2ft swell from the South with a 6-second period, and a clean, glassy offshore wind from the West at 9 mph. It’s small, but it’s clean. The combined energy is only 48 though, so it’s weak. This little window repeats on the 25th afternoon and again on the 30th of August. On the 30th, we get a slightly bigger 3ft to 4ft swell from the SSE and SE, with a clean offshore wind from the West at 9 to 12 mph. The energy finally climbs into the low 100s (114-116). Still short period (7 seconds), so it’ll be a bit crumbly, but it’s the best we’ve got.

The real standout, if you can call it that, is Tuesday the 25th. With a clean offshore wind and a tiny bit of swell, it’s the only window where the conditions are actually favorable. The waves will be small, but for a longboard or a funboard, it might be worth a session. The crowds at Manasquan Inlet can be an issue, so keep an eye out for that.

The other big pulse is on the 29th of August, with a 3ft ESE swell and a combined energy of 216, but the wind is howling cross-offshore at 16-19 mph out of the South and SSW. That’s kite-surfing weather, not paddle surfing. The setup at Manasquan Inlet, being a beach and jetty, will just be a mess in those conditions.

So, to sum it up: the first week and a half is a total bust. The real hope is for the 25th, and maybe the 30th, for some clean but small waves. It’s a long way out, so don’t lock in your plans just yet, but it’s the only thing on the menu.

Rusty.

Read more