Cohasset Tidal Rip
Cohasset
| Difficulty | I-II |
| Length | 0 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Reach Info Last Updated | March 31, 2003 |
River Description
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****Update 3/2003. The wave at Cohasset has been altered by natural or man-made events. A recent inspection showed that granite blocks from the broken dam which formed the wave have moved out of place. This displacement prevents the wave from forming. This site will be updated when more information is available. It is strongly recommended that you check the conditions before planning any trip to park and play at Cohasset****
Note: see the Comments. Jason Walker reported in June 2007 that this is still a viable surfing spot--though it may not be as amazingly easy as it once was.
Something of a cult favorite among Eastern New England paddlers, this is a play spot that will challenge you every time you visit. The Cohasset wave varies in character and difficulty by the minute due to rapidly changing water depth and tide height differential. In short...every day brings a new wave at Cohasset. It's also an excellent place for novices to practice since it's got eddies, a wave train, sharp squirt lines, and everything from flat water to a class II rapid.
The Cohasset wave forms on the incoming tide. About 3 hours before the actual high tide, the water moving out of the Gulf River (a tidal pool with a narrow channel to the harbor) goes slack. A short while later it begins to reverse direction and slowly starts flowing back into the tidal pool. The flow rate increases minute by minute and the current begins to pick up speed. Massive stone blocks from an old broken dam line the river bed near the mouth of the river. As the tide pushes back into the river the water is compressed and pushed backwards over the rocks and the wave begins to build. As the tide continues to press back into the harbor the water at the mouth of the river becomes congested, and the levels rise even faster. This accentuates the height differential between the harbor side of the b
...River Features
Take Out
Put In
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportBest session between 5-9 feet, 3-1 hours before high tide.
Is Cohasset dead? I took some video is to help people decide if Cohasset is 'broken'. This video was taken on a 10.5 foot tide, early in the session when the wave was still moderate. I hadn't been there in years and am not very good. The first half of the tape has some surfs and the second half has a swim incident and a bunch of failures to attain the wave, in case you want to see all the ways you can miss. My verdict is the wave is still just hard to get on, as I always remember it was. Bring a long or big boat and be in the water 3 hrs before high tide. The wave flattens out 1 hour before high tide, which is when you go practice squirts farther down the gulf.
A more modern way to plan a session is to look at the exact tide chart online. http://www.tides4fishing.com/us/massachusetts/cohasset-harbor-white-head
Too low a tide may not be enough and a really big tide may shorten the session because the spot blows out. If roughly one wants to be in the water prior to the start at 5' and the spot starts getting blown out at 9', then a high supermoon tide (-0.7 to 11) only has a bit more than a 1 hour window and an above average tide (0.6 to 9.6) has a window of almost 2 hours. 9.6 foot tide was plenty big, so this may be ideal for a longer session.
Screen captures from video
Visited on 7/23/16 with 9.5' tide. The wave didn't have enough height to surf. The secondary little spots right behind the wave were pulsing, so no rides on those more than a few seconds. It was fun to get wet and play in the current, but no good surfing to be had. It is still interesting to watch the wave form, and jumping off the bridge is fun.
This was taken about 2 hours before an 8.5' high tide
June 5th, 2011
Cohasset Wave (they refurbished the old buildings seen on river right).
This is right at 3 hours prior to high tide ..so ..still growing.
It's not a keeper wave like the old days ..but there's still kinda waves here.
Good for newbies and if nothing's running!
Cohassett is not dead contrary to popular belief. I visited on my way up the coast last week and the wave still forms even with a tide as low as 8.7. I agree it is a challenge to stay on and not very retentive but some of the secondary waves are very surfable. Maybe not worth a special trip but if you are in the area, certainly an enjoyable 1-2 hours.
3/2004: A friend and I recently visited teh Cohasset in search of early March white water. Unfortunately, even with a 9.8 ft tide, the wave formed however both of our boats were too slow to catch it. It was glassy, and it was easy to once see why it ruled the northeast. There was a transient secondary hole that formed behind the wave that was a bumpy ride. About all you can do there now is stern squirts and think of how it once was. Unless the tide is above 10 feet I don't suddest going. I do however suggest a project- FIX THE COHASSET!
One surfer enjoys the wave at Cohasset
while others wait in and around the
adjacent eddy.
One paddler surfs while others wait a turn
in the riverside eddy