Ditch Plains (Montauk) Surf Forecast
New York, NY · The East End's iconic right-hand cobblestone point.
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Ditch Plains (Montauk) Spot Guide
Best swell
Ideal size
Best wind
The wave
Local knowledge
Ditch Plains is Long Island's point wave — a cobblestone right at the island's east end that peels slow and long, the East Coast's answer to a California point. It made Montauk a surf town, and in fall, when hurricane swell meets offshore winds and the summer scene departs, it's genuinely special.
Nearby spots
- Matunuck 30 mi · Rhode Island
- Narragansett Town Beach 37 mi · Rhode Island
- Ruggles (Newport) 44 mi · Rhode Island
- Lido Beach 95 mi · New York
- Long Beach 96 mi · New York
FAQ
What swell direction works best at Ditch Plains (Montauk)?
SSE swell hits Ditch Plains (Montauk) straight on. The spot picks up anything arriving from ESE (110°) through SW (220°); swell from outside that window is blocked by the coastline.
What wind is best at Ditch Plains (Montauk)?
NNW wind blows offshore and grooms the surf. SSE wind is straight onshore and chops it up; light wind under ~5 kn is fine from any direction.
When is the best time of year to surf Ditch Plains (Montauk)?
Late summer through fall is prime: hurricane season (August-October) sends the year's best long-period swell, and fall-winter nor'easters keep it pumping. Summer runs smallest outside of tropical systems.
What's the best tide at Ditch Plains (Montauk)?
Mid to high. Tide predictions for the spot's NOAA station are in the forecast above.
Is Ditch Plains (Montauk) good for beginners?
Yes — Ditch is famously mellow and beginner-tolerant on typical days, though the rocks ask for care.
How warm is the water at Ditch Plains (Montauk)?
Roughly 41°F at its late-winter coldest to about 74°F in late summer. In practice that means a hooded 5/4 with boots and gloves in winter and trunks or a rash guard in summer. The forecast above shows the current water temperature.
How far out is this forecast reliable?
The wave model has real skill to about 10 days, and we cut the chart there instead of padding it with guesses. Days 1-3 are solid, 4-7 useful, 8-10 a trend heads-up - and we publish our measured error against NOAA buoys, updated continuously.
Forecast from TrueSwell's own physics-based wave model (exposure → refraction → breaking, every swell train separately), built on public NOAA and Open-Meteo data and scored daily against NDBC buoy observations. How the model works →