Manasquan Inlet • Statistics for January

January: Midwinter Power and the Cold Offshore Window

The heart of winter dials Manasquan into a constant rhythm of fronts and follow-up swells. Average wave heights sit at 4ft (1.3m) with a period around 6.9s, and the swell rose is a real winter stew. South and southwest groundswell are frequent, but the eastern quadrant is well represented: ENE, E and ESE combine for a solid chunk of the total incoming energy, while straight east and southeast swells hit the beach directly. The wind story is excellent. WNW, NW, W and NNW dominate the wind rose, and 31 percent of the time the wind is genuinely ideal, meaning offshore, groomed surfaces. The key is period; a 6.9s average often means windy, bumpy conditions, but when a nor'easter stalls far enough offshore and the wind clocks northwest behind it, long-period 10-14s swell can turn the inlet into a legitimate winter wave. With water temperatures at 5.8°C and air averaging 2.8°C, it is a cold, exposed, often solitary business. Suit up in your thickest rubber and pick the morning high tide after a low has moved east.