Surf spot guide · NYC Tri-State, United States
Due south facing Long Island beachbreak with groyne-formed peaks that fire hollow on solid SE swells and N winds.
Lido Beach is a south facing stretch of sand on the Long Island shoreline, lined with rock groynes that organise the swell into hollow, fast peaks running both ways off the jetties. The bottom is pure sand, the wave is steep and snappy with the odd barrel section on a clean low to mid push, and shifts toward shorter, mushier walls as the tide fills in. It picks up a touch more swell than neighbouring Long Beach, so on small days when the rest of the island stays flat there can still be something rideable along the bars. The wave is at its best on a SE groundswell with a N offshore, conditions that line up reliably during fall hurricane season. Access is straightforward off the public beach with car parks, roadside spaces and locals renting driveways during the summer crush. Crowds are heavy whenever it breaks, so expect a busy lineup of NYC and Long Island regulars trading peaks. Long Beach jetties three kilometres west are the obvious smaller-day fallback.
Hollow peaks peeling off rock groynes where SE groundswell meets north offshore.
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Lido draws a thick crowd whenever a swell shows, with NYC and Long Island regulars stacking the better peaks. Expect company year-round and a real grind on weekends.
Crowded NYC jetty beachbreak
NYC Tri-State
NYC's closest beachbreak: shifty sand peaks fronting the Rockaway peninsula where the pack often outweighs the swell.
NYC Tri-State
Long curving sand beachbreak on the west end of Fire Island, splitting into four parking-field peaks across the tide.
NYC Tri-State
Sand-bottom point setup at Sandy Hook's third jetty serving up long right walls on low-incoming southerly swells.
+6 MORE →Time sessions for low to mid tide on a SE swell with a N offshore for the hollowest sections
Move along the beach until you find the best-shaped sandbar between the groynes
Hit the dawn patrol to beat the NYC weekend crowd
Check Long Beach if Lido is maxing out as it handles bigger swells with less juice
Avoid surfing right after heavy rain due to estuary and stormwater runoff
HAZARDS · KNOW BEFORE YOU PADDLE
Standard public beach access with car park, roadside parking and free options. Some residents rent driveways and yards during summer for a small fee. Showers, restrooms and lifeguards on the beach in season.
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