Rockaway Beach Surf Forecast
New York, NY · NYC's only surf beach, jetty-shaped peaks in Queens.
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Rockaway Beach Spot Guide
Best swell
Ideal size
Best wind
The wave
Local knowledge
Rockaway is urban surfing, American edition: subway doors to saltwater in under an hour. The jetty peaks at 67th, 90th and 110th Streets organize S swell into short, punchy rides, and the boardwalk scene around them has built one of the most diverse surf communities anywhere. Fall hurricane season is when it gets legitimately good.
Nearby spots
- Long Beach 8 mi · New York
- Lido Beach 10 mi · New York
- Belmar 30 mi · New Jersey
- Manasquan Inlet 35 mi · New Jersey
- LBI Ship Bottom 68 mi · New Jersey
FAQ
What swell direction works best at Rockaway Beach?
SSE swell hits Rockaway Beach straight on. The spot picks up anything arriving from ESE (120°) through SW (220°); swell from outside that window is blocked by the coastline.
What wind is best at Rockaway Beach?
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 Rockaway Beach?
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 Rockaway Beach?
Mid. Tide predictions for the spot's NOAA station are in the forecast above.
Is Rockaway Beach good for beginners?
Yes at the designated beaches on small days — it's where NYC learns to surf.
How warm is the water at Rockaway Beach?
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 →