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Surf spot guide · NYC Tri-State, United States
Sectiony righthand boulder pointbreak under Montauk Lighthouse, holding double-overhead size on SE swells with W winds.
Turtle Cove is the boulder-strewn pointbreak that wraps the north side of Montauk Point, the easternmost tip of Long Island. It is a sectiony righthander with multiple take-off zones, short barrels and steep, fast walls firing down the line over a bottom of submerged rocks and pockets of sand. A short, occasional left peels directly beneath the historic lighthouse perched on the eroding bluff above. The wave needs a SE swell to wrap into the cove and lights up under W to NW winds, holding solid double-overhead size when the rest of the East Coast is closed out. Mid tide on the incoming push tends to deliver the cleanest faces with the fewest dry rocks. Access is via a long walk in from Camp Hero State Park to the south, which thins the crowd and weeds out casual surfers. The current that runs through the cove is constant and powerful, and on bigger days the takeoff is critical with little margin for error.
Sectiony right that peels over boulders when the East Coast flatlines everywhere else.
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Often busy on the headline SE swell windows with a competent local crew on it, though the long walk in from Camp Hero and the strong current keep numbers below the Ditch Plains zoo down the coast.
Lighthouse boulder point intensity
NYC Tri-State
Right-hand boulder-and-sand point on the north flank of Montauk Point that wraps E and oversized SE swells.
NYC Tri-State
Mellow, long-walling left at Montauk's eastern tip, the Northeast's most-loved longboard wave.
NYC Tri-State
Submerged boulder reef west of Ditch Plains serving up walled-up Montauk rights on SE swells.
+4 MORE →Time sessions around mid tide on the incoming push for the cleanest faces and fewest exposed boulders
Wait for a clean SE swell with W to NW winds to see the wave at its best
Walk in via Camp Hero State Park rather than the lighthouse car park to dodge the bulk of the crowd
Watch the lineup from the bluff first to read the sections and spot the dry rocks
Bring a stronger board for the steep, fast takeoffs and short barrels
HAZARDS · KNOW BEFORE YOU PADDLE
Park at Montauk Point State Park (paid car park) and walk down to the cove on the north side of the lighthouse, or take the longer hike in from Camp Hero State Park to the southwest, which is less crowded. Restrooms available at the state park; no lifeguard, showers, surf school or surf shop on site.
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