Surfing in the Northeast

Blurst

Blurst

Active member
Hey NS,

I was hoping that someone here would be able to tell me a little about surfing in the northeast at this time of year. My buddies and I have a two week break between exams and are looking to do a camping trip down to somewhere where we can surf. Looking for some info on good beaches, places, states, camping areas, etc...?

Any info is appreciated!
 
Higgin's Beach in Scarborough ME is a pretty popular surf spot. It's a great beach too. What kind of camping are you hoping to do? Are you looking for more of a camp ground/RV park or more of a place to tent out?
 
12948862:CheddarJack said:
Higgin's Beach in Scarborough ME is a pretty popular surf spot. It's a great beach too. What kind of camping are you hoping to do? Are you looking for more of a camp ground/RV park or more of a place to tent out?
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Do you surf personally? Im just curious as to what the swell will be like this time of year? Our trip would essentially consist of a bunch of novice surfers with one really experienced dude.

And we would be looking more for a place to tent out for a few days.
 
12948862:CheddarJack said:
Higgin's Beach in Scarborough ME is a pretty popular surf spot. It's a great beach too. What kind of camping are you hoping to do? Are you looking for more of a camp ground/RV park or more of a place to tent out?
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Anything in ME this time of year will be unbearably cold. Honestly that's the case for most of new england since water temps are between high 30's and mid 40's but warming up quickly. Once the combined air and water temperature is close to or over 100 fahrenheit it's usually alright to go out, but that's also for kiting where the wind makes everything a lot colder

There are some good surf spots working south along the coast from RI down into Long Island and NJ, so it's really where you want to be for 2 weeks. This time of year most wind will be afternoon thermals out of the south or southwest, so having a direct southern exposure can often avoid shitty cross chop
 
12948889:no_steeze said:
Anything in ME this time of year will be unbearably cold. Honestly that's the case for most of new england since water temps are between high 30's and mid 40's but warming up quickly. Once the combined air and water temperature is close to or over 100 fahrenheit it's usually alright to go out, but that's also for kiting where the wind makes everything a lot colder

There are some good surf spots working south along the coast from RI down into Long Island and NJ, so it's really where you want to be for 2 weeks. This time of year most wind will be afternoon thermals out of the south or southwest, so having a direct southern exposure can often avoid shitty cross chop
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Unbearably cold? Isnt the only good surfing through the winter and april/may?
 
12948914:Link. said:
Unbearably cold? Isnt the only good surfing through the winter and april/may?
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He meant for kite surfing. Personally I surf Jenness/Salisbury in NH/MA most of the time but I think you'll find the best surf down in Rhode Island. Water temps should be fine, I'm not too sure what kind of wetsuit you'll need probs a 4/5 or 5mm thick with booties and hood
 
12948921:MooseNuts said:
He meant for kite surfing. Personally I surf Jenness/Salisbury in NH/MA most of the time but I think you'll find the best surf down in Rhode Island. Water temps should be fine, I'm not too sure what kind of wetsuit you'll need probs a 4/5 or 5mm thick with booties and hood
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Yah Im not overly concerned about water temps.

What is the rental infrastructure like? We've got no gear with us so we would need to rent and im wondering if there are just shops down around the beach that are pretty good with that stuff?
 
12948921:MooseNuts said:
He meant for kite surfing. Personally I surf Jenness/Salisbury in NH/MA most of the time but I think you'll find the best surf down in Rhode Island. Water temps should be fine, I'm not too sure what kind of wetsuit you'll need probs a 4/5 or 5mm thick with booties and hood
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definitely check out Rhode Island for sure. There's some good surfing in Middletown and there's a camp ground not too far from there. Also, there's a really good rental shop on the main drag heading to the beach.
 
Go to southern Maine, there's a bunch if spots that are best with different swell directions. Higgins beach, fortunes rocks, goochs beach, wells beach, and ogunquit by the river are all sick! Let me know if you end up in Maine I'd come down and show you some spots and paddle out
 
12949167:BROSEIDON said:
Go to southern Maine, there's a bunch if spots that are best with different swell directions. Higgins beach, fortunes rocks, goochs beach, wells beach, and ogunquit by the river are all sick! Let me know if you end up in Maine I'd come down and show you some spots and paddle out
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Sick man! I'll let you know for sure. Were probably going to make this trip on a whim based on weather and swell. Its a four hour drive for us to maine, a little further to Rhode Island but that would be awesome to meet up with a fellow NS'er.
 
My bro has a house on Long Beach Island in New Jersey. Its a sweet ass island and like everyone surfs. The waves are wicked nice and there tends to be a pretty bomb sand bar surrounding most beaches. Pretty chill all around atmosphere.
 
12948931:Link. said:
Yah Im not overly concerned about water temps.

What is the rental infrastructure like? We've got no gear with us so we would need to rent and im wondering if there are just shops down around the beach that are pretty good with that stuff?
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youll most likely need a 4/5 suit with booties and hoods. if not you will be fucking miserable for sure. most places dont rent out winter suits because its a liability for them, before you go somewhere, definitely call the local shop before to see if they do rent them out.
 
How northeast are we talking? Jersey's been good. Although jersey seems to disallow everything on the beaches, including camping. I'm usually around the belmar area, everybody nows manasquan so I'll say that. Air's getting warm, I'd be in 5mm since I'm always cold, maybe some are doing 4/3 by now. Boots and probably gloves will be needed, might get away without your hood up. I did that on super bowl sunday and I was fine, save for my ears getting cold if they got wet.
 
12949271:DrZoidberg said:
How northeast are we talking? Jersey's been good. Although jersey seems to disallow everything on the beaches, including camping. I'm usually around the belmar area, everybody nows manasquan so I'll say that. Air's getting warm, I'd be in 5mm since I'm always cold, maybe some are doing 4/3 by now. Boots and probably gloves will be needed, might get away without your hood up. I did that on super bowl sunday and I was fine, save for my ears getting cold if they got wet.
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Saw on the Summer Sessions or Pioneers Boardshop FB page (NH surf shop) that some people ar erocking 4/3's and i think the swell has been about chest high in recent times...not too sure though because ive been stuck in upstate NY. I've heard from friends its been pretty good though..
 
12949259:s.parker said:
youll most likely need a 4/5 suit with booties and hoods. if not you will be fucking miserable for sure. most places dont rent out winter suits because its a liability for them, before you go somewhere, definitely call the local shop before to see if they do rent them out.
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Aquaholics rents winter suits
 
It's slowing down but definitely still going for a bit. Definitely get a winter suit (probably more than a 4/3 but you might be alright in one), and booties, hood, and gloves are essential. There is surf all along NE coast, just ask around for the best spot near you. Have fun!
 
There are definitely some good spots in Maine. All of the spots previously mentioned seem great (I go to them all the time, and they have decent sized waves for New England for the most part). Last year I tried surfing for the first time at Ogunquit Beach, and the only issue I had with it was that the place where the waves tend to be the biggest is right in front of a rock wall. If you're a first timer (like me), it can be a bit intimidating. The other option would be to surf right where the river hits the ocean, but the currents can be iffy and the waves REALLY vary on the day there. That being said, Scarborough seems to have consistently large waves, and if theres some sort of a storm offshore when you go, definitely hit up scarborough or old orchard beach.
 
Alright well my buddies and I are heading down tomorrow.

We are staying at a place called old orchard beach and are going to try and rent from around there. We talked to some lady on the phone and she was a hell of a bitch to us, it was kinda weird.

Anyways let me know if anyone is around.
 
Honestly if you're new you really need overhead waves. If you can find somewhere with long rides in the waist high range that's perfect.

If you figure out where you're going you can check surfline to see what's happening there look at forecasts or even watch cams of the breaks(for some)

also

People who have seen point break have a 62% higher success rate at surfing.
 
Come to York Beach, Maine. Usually great surf this time of year and you might see me out in the water. Plus if it's not good you can also try the Ogunquit River Mouth which is about 10 min away and usually better than york
 
I grew up surfing pretty much exclusivly the beaches from Salisbury, MA to just below Portsmouth, NH. Jenness Beach was a spot my buddies and I frequented often, as well as The Wall & Rye on the Rocks. Not sure about camping, but I'm sure there are spots. Surf can be hit or miss, but the spring normally has some storms that kick up some decent swell. I'd say have a board thats around 7.5 to 9 ft just in case the surf is small.

Cape Cod can have some really good surf late spring early summer as well.
 
Come to RI there are plenty of places to surf. Matunuck is one of the better places though, it's been a surf spot for decades.
 
first of all, before you go anywhere you need to learn how to read swell forecasts because it would really suck to go somewhere thinking there's gonna be waves everyday and it ends up being flat the whole time (which happens frequently for the entire east coast.)

Since you have a whole two weeks off, i recommend going somewhere warm (if the forecast looks good). the water temps this year have been the coldest in a long time so the water's taking a while to warm up. My recommendation is to go to the outerbanks. It receives more swell than most places on the east coast as it is less effected by the Continental shelf than anywhere else on the EC, which weakens swell considerably.

Going to the outerbanks is your best bet if you want to surf everyday. in New england, there can be waves for 2 weeks straight, but it'd be rare. in the outerbanks you are most likely going to be able to surf (probably tiny) but surfable waves everyday.

The problem is that you dont know if theres gonna be waves, so at the end of the day, you should just go where theres gonna be swell. surfings not like skiing where the mountains arent going anywhere. waves are not always there, especailly in new england.
 
To everyone saying higgins/fortune rocks for surfing this time of the year can be fun for sure, and there are a few shops real close by to rent from. Alberg's Surf and Sport in Scarborough is 5 minute drive from higgins beach and you can rent big beginner boards and wetsuits. You won't be able to tent on the beach but there is some good camping not too far from the coast
 
I go to school in Nova Scotia and surf as much as possible

Unfortunately, over the next week or so the waves look like shit. Looking ahead long range, just as May is starting (May 2 to May 4), we may have some waves. This is still 10 days away so a lot can change but that's what is forecasted now.

If you have two weeks off and are interested in making the (long) trip up here, message me and I can show you around
 
Alright so we made it down to Maine today, were staying in old orchard beach and surfed down at kennebuke. It was super small, only like 2 3 feet max but still really fun.

We're heading out again tomorrow and may try to head to anther beach. We dot want to go to far because we are planning to come back to canada tomorrow night.

Anyone going to be out in the area? Suggestions? Any input is appreciated haha
 
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