- window
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Official NY artificial reef 3.0 nmi south of Atlantic Beach, 413 acres of auto bodies, barges and a tug at 55-64 ft.
Google MapsToday — right on the edge — wave, wind and surge pounding.
Sources & confidence
Compiled by the spearo sea-state engine
The verdict comes from seven water factors and hard safety gates — not ten tabs. Go or stay.
Our own model
Our own forecast engine — not a third-party widget. It weighs these water factors into one go-or-stay verdict for this coast; the 0–10 dial is that verdict, read out as a number.
Safety gates
It all folds into a single 0–10 score and one verdict: go or stay.
A forecast, not a guarantee — the sea has the last word.
Where to get in, where to hunt
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
The day is picked above, in the hero. Here are that day's windows, the hour-by-hour map and the trends. Tap a window to break down the conditions.
Visibility and what drives it — post-storm clearing, river plume, temperature and the thermocline.
spearo.app folds wind, wave, swell period, visibility, tides, water temperature and risk into a single verdict — go to the spot or not. It computes 7 days ahead from open marine models (Open-Meteo, IPMA), with no sign-up and no accounts. Built for solo spearfishing off the rocks, where any mistake costs dearly.
Now live: 1152 spots across 189 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
See all spotsRelief and bottom type, tides, and the depths of each spot.
The models set the window. Whether you go in is read only at the water: count the sets, watch the surge on the entry. If in doubt, you don't get in.
Scouted entries, coloured by today. The colour is the sea state at the spot, not a guarantee: the wash and a slippery entry you judge on site.
Open the seafloor mapOfficial NY artificial reef 3.0 nmi south of Atlantic Beach, 413 acres of auto bodies, barges and a tug at 55-64 ft.
Google MapsOfficial NY artificial reef 3.3 nmi south of Jones Beach; rail cars, tug, bridge material and caissons at 50-72 ft.
Google MapsWest jetty of Jones Inlet at Point Lookout, adjoining Long Beach's east end; tautog and sea bass structure (stay 100 yd off the bathing beach).
Google MapsSOLO is the biggest risk: underwater you can black out from lack of oxygen silently and fatally, with no one around. Solo is never truly «safe». Below are the best weather windows; carry a buoy, tell someone your plan and exit time, and any doubt — don't go.
Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.
Check the cam BEFORE you leave. Foam, brown/green murk, or waves washing the entry rocks = No-go. At night/in fog the cam is useless — treat it as «unknown», NOT «green».
US spearfishing law is state-by-state. License, spearable species, powerhead rules and distances vary; federal sanctuaries (Gray's Reef, the Keys, Flower Garden Banks) ban spearfishing. Always confirm with the state agency and local ordinances.
Long Beach is a New York structure hunt. The cleanest spearfishing targets are not on the sandbar; they are Atlantic Beach Reef and Hempstead Reef, both official artificial reefs south of Long Island. Jones Inlet West Jetty adds closer rock for tautog and sea bass when beach rules, swimmers and inlet current allow enough separation. Spearfishing Long Beach NY requires the no-fee Marine Fishing Registry for anglers 16 and older and a conservative call on south swell.
These are structure spots with Northeast visibility, not tropical reef water. The reefs are boat dives. Jones Inlet is closer, but bathing-beach distance, boat traffic and current can shut it down.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Beach Reef | NYSDEC artificial reef | About 55 to 64 ft | Advanced freediving or boat-based team | Boat, about 3.0 nmi south of Atlantic Beach | A 413-acre reef field with auto bodies, barges and a tug. Best after the ocean has settled long enough for bottom visibility. |
| Hempstead Reef | NYSDEC artificial reef | About 50 to 72 ft | Advanced boat dive | Boat, about 3.3 nmi south of Jones Beach | Rail cars, bridge material, caissons and tug structure create relief. Plan current, anchor position and diver recall before loading. |
| Jones Inlet West Jetty | Inlet jetty rock | Shallow rock to inlet edge | Intermediate with local timing | Point Lookout side, away from bathers | Useful for tautog and sea bass structure, but not worth forcing on heavy current or crowded beach days. |
New York requires the no-fee Recreational Marine Fishing Registry for most saltwater anglers age 16 and older. New York rules note that striped bass is spearable in New York, while lobster is never a spear target. Use muscle-powered spearguns and obey seasons, slots and bag limits exactly. If a bathing-area distance or beach rule is unclear, treat the shore as closed.
The coast faces south, and the forecast record flags the southeast-to-southwest sector as the problem. After a southerly blow, reef sand and inlet sediment can stay suspended even when the beach looks calmer. A small-swell window after several tide cycles is better. NOAA Station 44065 gives nearby sea state; the Long Beach camera helps with surface texture.
The local Northeast mix is tautog, black sea bass, summer flounder, scup, bluefish and striped bass under New York rules. Tautog and sea bass are the structure fish. Fluke use sand next to relief. Bluefish and striped bass move through with bait. Sturgeon are off limits, and lobster requires other legal methods, never a spear.
Yes, most anglers age 16 and older need the no-fee Marine Fishing Registry.
New York rules list striped bass as spearable in New York, subject to limits.
Yes. They are NYSDEC artificial reef sites and are boat-based dives.
No. American lobster is never taken by spear.
NOAA NDBC Station 44065 is the nearby Long Island south-shore station.
Leave your email — and the moment a window opens at Long Beach (NY), we'll send the go / no-go verdict. Email is all we need.
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buoy New York Harbor Entrance: 23.6° · wave 1.4 m · 49 min ago