DEAR SURFERS – SPRING 2026

Dear Surfers,

When surfers identify themselves as being from New Jersey, they are often met with an incredulous response:

There are waves in New Jersey?

While the surf in the northeast has enjoyed more time in the limelight over recent years, compared to the institutionalized surf locations of California, Hawai‘i, and Australia, it is still very much under the radar. To respond to this question, most people sift through their photos app, looking for the most impressive and intimidating photo of heavy, winter surf that they can find. While we certainly receive an abundance of expert level surf throughout any given winter, what isn’t highlighted as often are the merits of New Jersey as one of the top destinations for learning to surf anywhere in the world.

From warm water to welcoming crowds, there are a variety of reasons for you to ditch the plane tickets and stay local for a summer of sunny weather and approachable surf. Don’t just take our word for it, either—we crunched the numbers. During the climatological summer of 2025 (June through August) there were 92 days. Using Surfline’s historic swell data, we looked at the recorded conditions over this time period. Of those 92 days, 73 had surf in the 1-3 foot range with clean wind conditions. This means that almost 80% of the time, surfers could expect clean, approachable conditions that make the learning experience even better.

While no one can control the ocean, the summer climate here stacks the odds in your favor to find opportunities to grow your surfing and keep progressing. As our instructors are fond of saying, “there is always something to learn in the ocean,” and there’s no better place to learn than home.