Long Beach, Long Island
Nevada Ave. to Maple Blvd., Long Beach 516-431-3890
From the city’s possibly too-close waves of Far Rockaway (some swear the water smells like poo) to Montauk’s Point Break, which only works when there’s a storm coming in, local surfers have a plethora of options. But Long Beach stands out because it is easy to reach (under an hour on the LIRR), consistent (picks up almost all directions of swell), and uncrowded (jetties separate the 3.5-mile stretch into twenty different breaks). Beach access is $10 per day in the summer and free all other times.