average jersey wave

[dave]

ok take this with a grain of salt b/c I've surfed every state in the EC except Maine and all over CA as well as Costa Rica and the Caribbean - but basically have surfed NJ outside of Mon. County maybe 3x the last 15 years (have literally never in my life surfed south of LBI) - the average Jersey wave is a beachbreak over a shifting sandbar - compared with the rest of the east coast, NJ spots can handle sizeable swell, but generally 6-9 foot and makeable is about the best its ever going to get, and that maybe 3-5 days a year in a good year. Maybe 100 days in a great year its optimal, which is 3-5 foot clean, some years its way less then that. If you have a longboard or a fish and have the tide and swell direction characteristics of all the spots your immediate area wired tight, you can get another 50-75 days where its at least fun. For me personally, I paddle out in anything clean or very light sideshore above 2 feet; I won't bother when its choppy - no matter what the size.

[Carson]

Maybe 100 days in a great year its optimal, which is 3-5 foot clean, some years its way less then that.

Nearly one third of the year, it's waist to chest and clean? This equates to a 2 to 3 day swell event ever week that's in that size range. I'd think that any year that ANY location on the east coast that got that type of swell event for 30 days in a year would be a fantastic year.

Just sayin.

[tbing]

I'd say there is more than 30 days where it is wasit-chest and clean. On average I'd say its between knee-chest throughout the entire year. Only few times is it bigger than chest.

[dave]

you don't need a 2-3 day swell event for a waist-chest clean wave, not even close. Pretty much most days of the year there's some sort of front or low off the coast somewhere, and with the right tide at the right spot, you can get a 1-3 hr. window, and thats a surf day, to me anyway. If your main source of info is the internet -meaning: forecasters, the half dozen public webcams that cover the entire 200 mile coast, and (totally non-verfiable) after-the-fact reports, you'll miss probably at minimum 2/3 of good days so yeah I can see why 30 would be what someone would surmise. Oh yeah also the donkeys who stand there on the boardwalk or jetty and gawk for 5 minutes then call their bros (here is a clue - the guy who pulls up to the spot a hour after dawn with a longboard in the Thule rack with the nose forward in a travel bag) aren't that great a source either.

[atmcracer]

im from nj and what are theses waves you speek of

[mitchell]

and with the right tide at the right spot, you can get a 1-3 hr. window, and thats a surf day, to me anyway. If your main source of info is the internet -meaning: forecasters, the half dozen public webcams that cover the entire 200 mile coast, and (totally non-verfiable) after-the-fact reports, you'll miss probably at minimum 2/3 of good days so yeah I can see why 30 would be what someone would surmise.

yeah i agree and plus the quick 1-3 hr window swells are usually the uncrowded ones because

- they usually weren't forecast on the net days ahead of time
- you have to play the tides and spots to find the window which most ppl dont do
- reports and cams usually miss these swells

[EastCoastBodyBoarder]

I'll go out in anything... even it its barely rideable... this is of course in the summer time. winter time is different.

haha same

[DKMBPIT]

Basically if you are planning on traveling to NJ for a surf trip, your chances of getting skunked are very high. Yes it does get very good but usually only the locals are on those swells cause they come at such short notice. Its best to spend that money on a trip that you know you will score waves, somewhere without and old toxic mud dump 3 miles offshore.

[tbing]

Basically if you are planning on traveling to NJ for a surf trip, your chances of getting skunked are very high. Yes it does get very good but usually only the locals are on those swells cause they come at such short notice. Its best to spend that money on a trip that you know you will score waves, somewhere without and old toxic mud dump 3 miles offshore.

NJ surf trip - $100 gas, stay at a friends. $60 beer. $160.

Anywhere else - $1500+ flight, $250+ room. $250+ food. $50+ beer. $2000+


You do the math. Individual each. For NJ you split with more people... maybe more beer. For anywhere else, just multiply...