Surf spot guide · NYC Tri-State, United States
Mellow, long-walling left at Montauk's eastern tip, the Northeast's most-loved longboard wave.
Ditch Plains is the headline wave of Montauk, a mostly left-running peak that breaks over a mix of boulders and sand at the foot of the cliffs east of town. The face stays soft and well-covered, with a workable wall and longer rides that suit longboards and groms, while the odd steeper right and a few faster lefts pop up further to the east toward the lighthouse. It comes alive on E through SW swells, with a SE pulse and light NW wind producing the cleanest shape, and the spot handles size from waist-high mush to overhead winter swells. Ditch is the spiritual home of New York surfing, drawing weekend pilgrimages from across the Tri-State and a year-round local crew. Access is a short walk from the dirt car park at the end of Ditch Plains Road, with the rocky reefs further east reached by a longer scramble along the shore. Expect a packed lineup almost every session, plus jellyfish in late summer and rip activity around the boulder sections.
Left-peaking over boulders where Montauk's cliffs meet the Atlantic.
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Stormrider flags Ditch as 'absolutely always crowded' and that holds true year-round. Weekends and any clean swell pull dense lineups of locals, weekenders and surf-school groups.
Crowded Montauk longboard classic
NYC Tri-State
Submerged boulder reef west of Ditch Plains serving up walled-up Montauk rights on SE swells.
NYC Tri-State
Boulder-sprinkled Montauk beachbreak with shifting peaks that work best low to mid tide.
NYC Tri-State
Right-hand boulder-and-sand point on the north flank of Montauk Point that wraps E and oversized SE swells.
+5 MORE →Pull out a longboard or fish to make the most of the slow, walling face
Aim for E through SE swell with a NW offshore for the cleanest shape
Sit further east for steeper rights and faster lefts when the main peak is jammed
Expect to pay for a town parking permit if surfing in summer
Watch for boulders along the inside on lower tides
HAZARDS · KNOW BEFORE YOU PADDLE
Short walk to the beach from a dirt car park at the end of Ditch Plains Road. Parking is restricted in summer and requires a paid town permit. Lifeguard, restrooms and showers on the main beach; the rocky reef sections to the east require a longer walk.
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