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Spot: Jersey Shore, NJ
The Waves
New Jersey is not the land of point breaks. Again, think of what you would find between the Huntington Pier and Wedge, and that is the Jersey Shore. A lot of beachbreaks, with jetties and piers and rivermouths/harbor entrances providing some variety.
Best Swell, Size and Direction
Cold in the winter, packed in the summer. Like most of the rest of the east coast and most of the rest of the temperate world, New Jersey is all about fall, y’all. Click here for a YouTube of three days of A-frames, spitting barrels and classic autumn surf on the Jersey shore, from November of 2006.
This YouTube shows the surf from the first noreaster of 2007. Call it the Saint Valentine’s Day massacre as on February 14 the water was 33°, the water temp was 26° and the wind chill – you don’t wanna know. But the surf was firing.
Surrounding Spots
Check out the Jersey Shore on Google Earth from north to south or south to north or start in the middle and go any way, and the place looks like it has some potential. Miles and miles of open beach, with the occasional pier or harbor entrance or rivermouth or jetty to break it all up.
Some of these spots sound like a Monopoly game: Ventnor Pier, South Carolina Avenue, States Avenue and some you might have heard of like Manasquan Inlet and Seaside Heights.
Manasquan Inlet is considered one of the better waves on the east coast, a series of peaks coming off a jetty that can handle size and also have some length.
Click here for a YouTube of the Manasquan Surf Pro Contest held in fun surf in 2006.
Difficulty Level
Depends on swell, current, tides. When the swell is knee high, it’s easy as pie. When a noreaster is roaring, it won’t be boring. When a hurricane is on the swirl, only the best should be shooting the curl. Well that was lame, but you get the point. This is beachbreak and jetty surf, which can range from green square to triple black diamond.
Localism Factor
Yes and no. There is a lot of space along here and with a little bit of searching you can find the perfect wave on the perfect day and be alone with the surf and your thoughts. But the quality places like Manasquan Inlet have their crews and their protocols too. If you go out there and act like a Shoobie, you might get some surf Sopranos action on your head. So don’t.
Related Media Links
www.montauk-online.com has photos of Montauk by clicking here.
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