The Ultimate East Coast Surf Road Trip

The East Coast might not hold Pipeline or Lower Trestles-level breaks, but it still offers plenty of fun, and sometimes top-notch, surf conditions -- if you know where to look.

Whether you’re looking for empty waves during monstrous winter storm-swells all the way up north, or fun, longboard cruisers down south in the sun, there’s something for everybody across the East’s 2,370 miles of beaches.

Let’s take a trip all the way up the coast stopping at some of the best spots. 

When is East Coast Surfing Best? 

While different spots work better at different times of the year, my pick for the all-around best time to surf the East would be early fall. Hurricane and storm swells are super common in the fall, providing better surf than the spring or summer, and the water, especially in spots up North, is still warm enough that a 3/2mm or shortie wetsuit should get you through the surf session. 

Not to mention, you lose a lot of the summer crowds and tourists in surf spots by autumn, without becoming a complete ghost town just yet. 

As for the board situation, the best option will change depending on the surf spot. Florida’s stops would likely be more suited for a long board, while a short board could be your best bet in the Outerbanks. 

1. Florida: Cocoa Beach & Sebastian Inlet 

Starting all the way down south, Florida’s Atlantic Coast has all the classic surf town vibes. The water temperature is doable without a wetsuit most of the year, but a thin one could be necessary December - February.

From summer to fall, the water is so warm it's almost surprising it doesn’t start bubbling like a jacuzzi. A rashguard wouldn’t be a bad idea though, to provide some protection from the Florida sun. Florida’s beach breaks aren’t super consistent, but 2-4 foot swells are fairly common. 

Sebastian Inlet 

Twenty minutes from Melbourne is Sebastian Inlet State Park, a more secluded surf spot with two main breaks: North Jetty and South Jetty, with the former being the more popular and consistent (and crowded) spot. South Jetty might have weaker waves but fewer surfers, so it's a pick-your-poison situation. For more outdoorsy and adventurous surfers, you can camp out at Sebastian Inlet. For those of us who require air conditioning, there’s plenty of spots to stay in Melbourne.

Cocoa Beach 

About an hour North of Sebastian Inlet is our next stop: Cocoa Beach. It’s only fitting that Cocoa, home to surf legend Kelly Slater, makes it onto our East Coast surf trip. The town has even erected a statue of Slater, a hometown hero. Cocoa is a popular surf destination with beach breaks that depend on sandbars. Lori Wilson Park usually has a nice spread out crowd and plenty of parking.

There’s also the Cocoa Beach Pier, formerly the Canaveral Pier, which is a famous longboarding break. 

The town of Cocoa Beach also has plenty to do post-surf session. Fishing and boating activities are popular, there’s a strip of fun bars and restaurants, and the world’s largest Ron Jon Surf Shop. 

2. North Carolina: The Outer Banks 

The Outerbanks have the largest waves you’re going to find on the East Coast. The barrier islands provide arguably the best and most consistent waves throughout the year. North Carolina has the best of both worlds: super warm waters and fun waves in the summer; colder, emptier, and much better waves in the winter. 

In the fall, you might need a spring suit on colder days, but early in the season a bikini or boardshorts will do just fine. 

The Outer Banks is bustling in the summertime with surfers, tourists, and beachgoers, but slows down in the fall and gets pretty quiet during the winter. There’s a ton of beach-related fun to be had throughout the Outer Banks. 

Cape Hatteras 

At the southern end of the Outerbanks is Cape Hatteras. Its geography allows wind, currents and sandbars to add up to excellent waves. A series of channels and sandbars are always forming and moving around the area, so if you find a good break, get on it quickly! Buxton Beach and the Rodanthe Pier are popular surf spots, but good sandbars can crop up anywhere. 

Kitty Hawk & Nags Head 

Some of the best breaks in the Outerbanks are Kitty Hawk, a beach break off a pier, Nags Head, and Duck Pier. All of these spots are pretty crowded during the summer months, but things spread out a bit by fall. They’re all in pretty close proximity to each other, so depending on the day and what you’re looking for, the “best” location will change.

3. New York: Long Island & Rockaway 

Bringing our journey up North, we head towards the city that never sleeps -- and its waves don’t either! From Rockaway Beach, Queens, to Montauk on the tip of Long Island, New York’s got something to work with year-round. 

In the summer, you can get away without a wetsuit most of the time. Summer swells are fickle, but incoming storms always bring a few good ones our way. Storms continue to grow in power and consistency during the fall, providing some of the best surf of the year before the water becomes frigid.

Rockaway Beach 

The only legal surfing beach in New York City, Rockaway Beach is a thin peninsula in Southern Queens. If the waves are rideable, there’s going to be large crowds on popular jetties like Beach 91st street and 98th street, but you can find some quieter breaks down in the 60s and 70s.

The combination of urban city life and surf culture creates a very unique setting in Rockaway, like surf clubs serving tacos under the elevated subway tracks and surfers from the city.

Long Island 

There’s a ton of spots across Long Island that have great surf conditions. Many of them are beach breaks/ jetty breaks like Rockaway, including Long Beach, Gilgo Beach, and parts of the Hamptons. Montauk is probably the most famous surf location in New York, with a consistent point break and rock-reef breaks at the very end of Long Island. 

Long Beach and Gilgo offer more of that surf town charm, and have plenty of awesome bars and restaurants, but Montauk has this cool balance between the surf lifestyle and the boujee-Hamptons vibe. 

4. Maine: Ogunquit & York Harbor 

Ending our trip all the way up North, Maine is the most rugged and remote surf scene you’ll find on this list. If you’re willing to brave the colder waters, you’ll find yourself on empty peaks 

If you don’t want to turn into a popsicle, I would recommend wearing a solid wetsuit throughout most of the year surfing in Maine. Fall temperatures should fall somewhere in the 50s-60s, which isn’t brutal, but definitely not bikini/board shorts appropriate temps. Fall can bring some heavy and hollow breaks from hurricane season. 

York Harbor 

York Harbor is a historic coastal village with a rocky coastline and scenic harbor views. Harbor currents can push more cold water into the area, making the water colder than neighboring

spots. In the summer, it's great for longboarding, and like most of the East Coast the fall is more suited to short boarding. 

Ogunquit 

A 20 minute drive North is Ogunquit, a long sandy stretch of beach breaks. Ogunquit is usually a little bigger and more powerful than York Harbor, so probably a bit more crowded on an average day. It's another classic Maine beach town with plenty of lobster rolls to choose from. 

East Coast Surf Trip: The Bottom Line 

The East Coast offers so much in the ways of surfing, from lively and fun surf-influence towns to empty peaks on secluded beach breaks. It has also produced some of the best surfers in the game, like Kelly Slater and Olympic gold-medalist Caroline Marks. 

Don’t underestimate the East Coast’s surfing scene, and definitely don’t knock it ‘til you try it!