8th Street Jetty • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (October - March)

8th Street Jetty comes alive when the Western Atlantic begins its autumn-to-spring storm cycle. From October through March, average swell heights hover around 4ft (1.2-1.3m) and the Jetty's east-southeast exposure lines up with a healthy mix of ENE, E, ESE and SE groundswell. The same westerly quadrants that generate these swells often leave behind offshore WSW, W, WNW and NW winds in their wake, giving the Jetty clean, structured waves that hold up better than at more exposed breaks. Water temperatures bottom out in February at 4.3°C, so thick rubber is a must, but the consistency of the fetch and the repeated cold front passages make this the most rewarding stretch of the calendar.

Fair Surf Season (April - May & September)

Spring and early autumn are transition seasons at 8th Street Jetty. April and May see a marked increase in pure E/ESE/SE swell frequency - nearly 50% of all swell observations come from those directions - but the offshore wind percentage drops and the average size slowly trickles down from 4ft to 3ft (0.9-1m). September is the standout fair-weather month: average period jumps to 8.3s and the tropical Atlantic sends in some of the most organized E/ESE/SE swell of the year. It still lacks the constant winter consistency, yet when a late-season hurricane tracks up the Gulf Stream, the Jetty can fire.

Low Surf Season (June - August)

Summer is the Jetty's recharge period. Average swell heights fall to 2-3ft (0.6-0.9m), and the wave period sits in the 6.9-7.5s range, which translates to alternating sea breeze ripples and small, punchy windswell. The offshore wind score is actually high - 45-50% of the time the breeze is from WSW/WNW/NW - but there simply isn't enough open-ocean energy to push through. June, July and August are best for a summer longboard or foiling session, with the occasional tropical swell as the exception.