A Season-by-Season Breakdown of Glory, Frostbite, and Questionable Decisions
If you're considering taking up surfing in New York, first of all: welcome. You're either incredibly brave, mildly unhinged, or you just watched Point Break and haven’t checked the water temperature yet. Surfing in New York is not for the faint of heart—or for anyone with normal body temperature expectations. Here’s what it’s like to surf the Empire State, season by season.
Spring: Hope, Hypothermia, and a New Lease on Stoke
Spring in New York is when local surfers emerge from their winter hibernation, shake the icicles off their wetsuits, and say things like, “It’s warming up out there!” even though the water is still 45°F and your toes feel like frozen mozzarella sticks.
You’ll have the lineup mostly to yourself because the tourists haven’t arrived, and half the locals are still unthawing from January.
Spring Essentials: 5/4 wetsuit, hood, gloves, boots, therapist.
Summer: Surf’s Kinda Up, homey (If You Like 1-2 Feet and Crowds)
Summer is when everyone in New York decides they’re a surfer. Your barista, your roommate, and that guy who just bought a GoPro for his “surf lifestyle” YouTube channel.
The waves? Mostly ankle to knee high. But it’s warm, sunny, and you don’t have to defrost your wetsuit in a hot shower afterward.
Summer Essentials: Patience, SPF 1000, a soft-top surfboard, and noise-canceling AirPods for the LIRR or A-Train ride.
Just remember to pick up your trash. We appreciate it
Fall: The Holy Grail (aka Pumpkin Spice and Perfect Waves)
This is what we live for. Warm water, offshore winds, empty beaches, and hurricane swells rolling in like a gift from Poseidon himself. You’ll call in sick more than once and consider quitting your job entirely.
Fall Essentials: Your best board or at least one you don’t mind breaking, your worst excuses, and a stash of dry towels in your trunk. And hope that your loved one understands why you cannot make it to their sister’s wedding. Just tell them you will catch them next time she gets married.
Winter: Only the Bold Survive (And Sometimes Not Even Them)
Winter surfing in New York is a badge of honor and a test of survival. The waves are firing, the crowds are gone, and your neoprene collection looks like something out of The Revenant.
It’s 32°F out. Your leash is frozen. And yet… you’re out there. Because the surf is pumping, and your priorities are... let’s say unique.
Winter Essentials: 6/5/4 wetsuit, frostproof stoke, a thermos of coffee, and heated car seats. And above all, the ability to explain to you family/loved ones why the boots, gloves and wetsuit currently soaking in the tub all have that “amazing odor”
Final Thoughts:
Surfing in New York is not always glamorous. It’s gritty, it’s cold, it’s weirdly addictive. You’ll high-five a stranger in the lineup one minute and GIve An East Coast Shaka To someone else 2 minutes later. But you’ll also get some of the best, most unexpected waves of your life.
So wax up your board, pack your sense of humor, and get ready to paddle out into the chaos of the East Coast’s most unpredictable surf scene. Just remember: if you can surf here, you can surf anywhere…… Almost
