Barnegat Light Marine Forecast, NJ
Updated Sat Nov 7, 2026
Doable but choppy: Saturday is the best of three
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Marine Forecast for Barnegat Light Nov 7–9, 2026
📋 Doable but choppy: Saturday is the best of three
CAUTION: winds run 3-10 knots from the WNW with gusts to 23 knots, and 2.4-2.8 foot seas at 6-second periods from the SSE. A SSE swell crossing the WNW wind-wave makes a confused cross-sea with steep chop, so motion is awkward with no single good heading. There is a 48% chance of rain around midnight, so bring rain gear. Timing matters; the 12-hour trip fits best from 2:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
CAUTION: winds are 8-10 knots from the W with gusts to 23 knots, and 1.9-2.4 foot seas at 6-second periods from the S. A S swell crosses the WNW wind-wave, producing a confused cross-sea and steep wind-wave chop that make the ride uncomfortable with no clean heading. Forecast confidence is only 64%, so pick your timing carefully for the 12-hour trip.
CAUTION: winds build from 6 to 14 knots out of the W with gusts to 31 knots, and 1.7-3.2 foot seas at 6-second periods from the SSE. An ESE swell crossing the WNW wind-wave creates a confused cross-sea and steep chop, awkward with no single good heading. Confidence is low at 50%, so this is the least reliable day for a 12-hour trip.
Saturday 2:00 AM to 1:00 PM is the pick, with light WNW winds around 9 knots and 2.6 foot seas at 6-second periods from the SSE, though gusts reach 23 knots and the sea state stays awkward.
Today’s Water at Barnegat Inlet
Sea surface temperature and chlorophyll around Barnegat Inlet, imaged fresh every morning. Water at the star is 60.5°F today, and chlorophyll of 5.28 mg/m³ reads as nutrient-rich green water at the spot.
Imagery: Nov 6, 2026 · rebuilt every morning
These charts show you the breaks. DeepCast reads them. A zone-by-zone AI fishing report for these exact waters — temperature edges, color changes, and structure, analyzed together.
Get the AI fishing reportSST and chlorophyll from the SeaLegs AI DeepCast satellite pipeline. Charts are a planning aid — always check the official marine forecast before making the run.
About Barnegat Light
Barnegat Light sits at the northern tip of Long Beach Island, where Barnegat Inlet cuts through to the Atlantic between the island and Island Beach State Park. The lighthouse on the point marks the inlet, and the inlet marks the day: it is the way out for the LBI fleet, the Viking Village commercial boats, and everyone running from Barnegat Bay to the beachfront, the nearshore lumps and the wreck grounds offshore. Early Dutch charts called it the "Inlet of the Breakers", and the name still fits.
The outlook below is for the water just outside the inlet. It updates every morning from the latest marine model data, and each day gets a plain GO, CAUTION, or NO-GO call — the same AI rating used in the SeaLegs AI app.
Reading conditions at Barnegat Inlet
Barnegat Inlet has a bar at its mouth and a strong tidal flow through it, and the two work on each other. When the ebb runs out against an onshore wind or swell, seas stand up short and steep right in the channel — a day that reads moderate on the open beachfront can be a very different ride at the mouth. Read the wave period next to the height on every day card, and give the state of the tide as much weight as the forecast when you plan the run out and, especially, the run back in.
The jetties were rebuilt in the early 1990s and the Army Corps dredges the channel every year, but it still shoals and shifts: the marked channel is the channel, whatever the chart from last season showed. Inside, Barnegat Bay is shallow and builds a quick chop in a hard wind, but it stays usable on many days when the inlet does not. Use the three-day view above to pick the day — run the ocean when the window holds, and work the bay when it closes.
This page is a planning aid, not a substitute for the National Weather Service coastal waters forecasts and warnings, or for the Coast Guard station at the inlet — check both before you leave the dock.
Barnegat Light forecast FAQ
How is the sea at Barnegat Light today?
As of Nov 7, 2026, the SeaLegs AI verdict for Barnegat Light is CAUTION. CAUTION: winds run 3-10 knots from the WNW with gusts to 23 knots, and 2.4-2.8 foot seas at 6-second periods from the SSE. A SSE swell crossing the WNW wind-wave makes a confused cross-sea with steep chop, so motion is awkward with no single good heading. There is a 48% chance of rain around midnight, so bring rain gear. Timing matters; the 12-hour trip fits best from 2:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
What marine forecast zone covers Barnegat Light?
NOAA's coastal waters forecast for this stretch is the zone from Manasquan Inlet to Little Egg Inlet, out 20 nautical miles. The forecast on this page is built for the water just outside Barnegat Inlet itself — the inlet mouth, the LBI and Island Beach beachfront, and the first few miles offshore.
Does this forecast cover Barnegat Bay too?
The forecast point is on the ocean side of the inlet, so the bay will usually be calmer than shown here, except for the wind-driven chop that builds on the shallow bay in a strong breeze. The inlet mouth itself can be rougher than the forecast when the ebb runs against an onshore wind.
Why is Barnegat Inlet known as a rough inlet?
A bar at the mouth, a strong tidal current, and a channel that shoals between dredgings. When the outgoing tide meets wind or swell from the east, seas get short and steep in the channel. The forecast tells you the wind and waves; the tide tables and the marked channel tell you the rest, and the Coast Guard station at the inlet is the authority on conditions on the day.
How often is this Barnegat Light forecast updated?
The forecast on this page is rebuilt every morning from the latest marine model data, and the SpotCast card refreshes live in your browser. The date stamp above the outlook shows exactly when it was last generated.
What do GO, CAUTION, and NO-GO mean?
GO means conditions are favorable for most recreational boats. CAUTION means marginal — manageable for experienced crews in capable vessels, but check the wind, wave period and tide timing closely. NO-GO means conditions are hazardous for small craft and the trip is best postponed.
Can I get a forecast like this for my own spot?
Yes. In the free SeaLegs AI app you can drop a pin on any spot on Earth — a lump off LBI, the wreck grounds, or a canyon edge — and get the same AI-rated marine forecast, plus fishing reports and trip planning.
What is the water temperature at Barnegat Inlet today?
As of Nov 6, 2026, the satellite-derived sea surface temperature at Barnegat Inlet is about 60.5°F, with chlorophyll around 5.28 mg/m³ (nutrient-rich green water). The SST and chlorophyll charts on this page are rebuilt every morning from the SeaLegs AI DeepCast satellite pipeline.
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