For great surfing, you can’t really beat the waves off the shores of America - from West to East coast, here are some of the best surf spots in the USA.
Rockaway Beach, New York
Believe it or not
New York City has a thriving surf scene and local surfers head to Rockaway Beach in Queens to catch a wave at either of the two free surf beaches, pictured right. You’ll find them between Beach 67th and 69th Streets, and Beach 87th and Beach 92nd Streets. Take surf lessons through New York Surf School and
Skudin Surf at Beach 69th Street and you can visit
Boarders Surf Shop at their summer pop-up store at Beach 68th Street for advice and rentals.
Black Beach, San Diego
Rivalling Surf City for its weather and waves, the
Californian city of
San Diego’s 70 miles of coastline includes 15 beaches for surfers of different levels to choose from. At just over a mile long, La Jolla Shores is known as the best of them with Black Beach the surfing hotspot.
Surf City Surf Dog Competition, Huntington Beach
Meanwhile, if you don’t surf but your dog does, there’s a surfing community for dogs in Huntington Beach called surFURS! September’s Surf City Surf Dog multi-heat competition, pictured left, takes place alongside a ‘SUP (stand up paddleboard) with your pup’ event and if you happen to be a Corgi owner – too posh to surf? – why not take your non-surfing Corgi to Surf City’s So Cal Corgi Beach Day each April, the largest corgi celebration in the world.
Malibu, California
Stretching for more than 30 miles along the Pacific and Highway One, Malibu has achieved almost mythological status among
California beach towns, its oceanfront houses home to Hollywood stars and top athletes. This is the birthplace of LA’s surf scene and the waves are excellent. Head to iconic Surfrider Beach for long, lazy point breaks and perfect winds or pick Zuma beach at the northern end of Malibu for clear waters, significant waves and a local crowd.
Vans US Open of Surfing, Huntington Beach
With 10 miles of interlinking beaches and consistently brilliant waves, no wonder Huntington Beach in California is nicknamed Surf City. The USA’s capital of surf is host to the world’s largest surf competition and lifestyle festival, the Vans US Open of Surfing which is held there in July. This annual celebration of all things surf sees 300 athletes compete and as many as 500,000 spectators watching from the beach over the nine-day event.
NLand, Austin
You don’t have to be at the coast to surf in the USA, you can find awesome waves in landlocked
Austin,
Texas, at NLand. This surf centre has a lake with artificial waves for everyone, from novice to experienced surfer, from steep reef waves to Waikiki-style inside waves, and friendly bay waves. Everything you need to surf is included in your surf pass.