Manasquan Inlet Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s be straight with you – the next 16 days at Manasquan Inlet are looking pretty flat and quiet. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak, and often messy surf ahead. The first real chance to even think about a board comes on Thursday, September 3rd, but it’s not anything to get excited about.

From now through Wednesday, September 2nd, it’s a write-off. We’re talking ankle-to-knee high slop, mostly onshore winds, and combined swell energy barely breaking 100 (24 to 17). It’s a total washout.

Then on Thursday, September 3rd, we finally see a tiny window. The early morning check shows a cross-offshore breeze from the SSW, which will clean things up. Swell is a meager 3 ft, coming from the ESE, with a short period of 6 seconds. The combined energy is a weak 77. The morning is still a “poor surf conditions” call, but the afternoon gets a “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” rating. It’s small, weak, and not very well-ordered, but it’s the cleanest we’ve seen. That pattern of marginal, clean surf continues into Friday, September 4th, with a similar 2 ft from the S, but with a nice NW cross-offshore breeze. The energy is even lower, though, at 46. Water temp is about average for the time of year.

After that, we slide back into a grey zone. Saturday, September 5th, has a glassy morning but barely a ripple (0.7 ft). Sunday the 6th gets a pulse of 3 ft from the ENE, but it’s choppy and cross-onshore. The real kicker is around Monday, September 7th, where we get a long-period groundswell pulse of 2 ft from the E, with a period of 11 seconds. The combined energy hits 120-134, which is moderate. But the wind is onshore or cross-onshore, making it messy. The long period (11s) is a hint of quality, but on a beach/jetty setup like Manasquan Inlet, it can break straight and be a bit tricky. Still, it’s the most interesting pulse of the whole forecast.

The following week, from September 10th onward, is back to tiny, clean, but powerless waves. The best looks like Thursday, September 10th with a 2 ft SE swell and an offshore W wind, or Sunday, September 13th with a similar 1 ft SE swell and clean offshore winds. The energy is very low, though.

If you’re a beginner, the swell never gets over 5 ft, so it’s mostly safe, but the quality is so poor it’s not worth the trip. For experts, there’s nothing to get your teeth into. Honestly, this stretch is more about waiting for the next real system. The short, weak pulses and onshore winds mean the setup looks more interesting for a kite than a paddle.

Alright, I’ve said my piece. Keep your eyes on the horizon.

Rusty.

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