Philips Pump House / New Jersey / United States

This is a big spot when it goes off, maybe the biggest in the state. Most of the time though it’s just a good fun wave, suitable for all levels of experience.

You have a decent sandy beach here, between two jetties that tend to shelter it from the pollution in the water just to the north. If you come here in summer you will only need a thin suit, if that, but winter air temperatures drop towards freezing and you’ll need warmer gear.

The best wind comes from the northwest, west or southwest and the best swell direction is from the southeast or east. The surfing is by the Phillips Avenue jetty. It will start working at about 1m, and if you catch it on a hurricane swell in the fall you’ll find it holding up to a pretty big 5m. It works at both low and mid tide positions, and the best time to catch it is on a falling tide. It is a jetty break, both left and right, and is fast and powerful as well as being big occasionally. Length of the waves is pretty good too, reaching well over 100m on an average day and towards 300m on a good day.

You can park by the pavilion on Phillips Avenue, and this also offers showers, lockers and snacks. There is a lifeguard on the beach too if you end up in difficulty.

There can be some strong currents here, especially in the fall when the wind is up, and you really need to avoid hitting wither of the jetties.