the beach today
Rockaway Beach Guide

Rockaway
Beach

NYC's Surf Break

NYC's surf beach -- 8 miles of barrier peninsula, the city's only designated surf breaks at Beach 87-91, and the boardwalk revival that made Rockaway cool again.

Today on the Sand

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Water Temp

84°

warm · gentle surf

UV Index

9

very high · 10am–4pm

Beach Crowd

Busy

holiday weekend

Beach Toolkit

Beach Conditions

Surf, tides & water temp

Parking Finder

Garages, lots & meters

Sunset

Sunset countdown & live cam

Dining

Where to eat after the sand

Things to Do

Cruises, sails & tours

Events

What's on this week

Beach Rules

Dogs, drinks, fires, drones

Pick Your Sand

north to south

Beach 116

Families, concessions, main boardwalk section

Lifeguards · families

Beach 87-91

Designated surf zone, experienced surfers

Surf only · no swimming

Jacob Riis Park

West end, National Park, Art Deco bathhouse

Hidden gem · quieter

Far Rockaway

East end, local feel, less touristy

Local · east end

Arverne by the Sea

Boardwalk revival, new development, families

New scene · boardwalk

Neponsit

Quiet residential beach, western peninsula

Residential · calm

Dolphin Cruises

Open →

Compare daily sails from the marina — wild dolphins on nearly every trip.

Beyond the Beach

day trips

Jamaica Bay

10 min north

Kayak and wildlife refuge -- best birding in NYC

Howard Beach

10 min north

Italian-American restaurants, quick LIRR access

JFK Airport

20 min north

20 minutes to the runway -- oddly convenient

Manhattan

45 min A train

The A train from Far Rockaway or Rockaway Park runs express to the city

see you on the sand

Water temp, surf and UV are live from NOAA & Open-Meteo; sunset is computed locally for Rockaway Beach. Crowd level is a weekday/weekend estimate.

Right now at Rockaway Beach, the water is 75°F, surf is running 2–3 ft and the air is 76°F but feels like 79°F. Wind is 16 mph from the SSE and the UV index peaks at 6 (high) today. Unprotected fair skin burns in about 24 minutes right now, and the strongest stretch runs 1 PM to 3 PM. Today’s tides: High 1:12 AM, Low 6:53 AM, High 1:33 PM, Low 8:00 PM. Dogs are allowed right now, on a leash. Allowed until May 29.