Long Beach (NY) spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

Long Beach (NY) · United States
5.2
wave 1.2 m head-on
visibility2m

Today — right on the edgewave, wind and surge pounding.

Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicushigh confidence · data 17:34

Sources & confidence

Sources
IPMA · NDBC buoys · Copernicus Marine
Method
Model consensus, read per window
Freshness
Re-read every hour, per coast

Compiled by the spearo sea-state engine

The verdict comes from seven water factors and hard safety gates — not ten tabs. Go or stay.

How we score the water

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.

Swell & wave memory
Height, period and direction of the swell, plus the wake of recent storms — an old storm still stirs the water, and the engine remembers.
Wind & gusts
Speed and gusts, hour by hour — wind speed and an onshore push chop the surface and cut visibility.
Tide phase
Timing and range of the tide, calibrated per coast — big spring tides pull the verdict toward caution.
Water temperature
Sea-surface temperature — sharply cold water vetoes a green verdict.
Currents & outflow
Direction and drift of the current — it pushes you, and it drags turbid coastal water across where you dive.
Rain runoff & air clarity
Rain muddies the water inshore through land runoff, while fog and haze cut visibility at the surface.
Coast shape & exposure
How the coast faces the swell — a sheltered cove keeps the water clean; an exposed, head-on point takes a penalty.

Safety gates

  • Thunderstorm forecast — an instant red, no exceptions.
  • An official warning (MeteoAlarm / IPMA) — yellow, or red for the higher ranks.
  • Missing input data — a would-be green is capped to yellow rather than overstated.
  • Strong disagreement between forecast models — a green day is pulled back to yellow.
  • Night hours — forced red; the window is closed after dark.

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

Entry points with coordinates
Seabed relief — promising ground

This verdict — in your pocket. Open the app for the week's window.

Android: the public release is in Google Play review — leave your email and we'll send beta access today.

Android beta — QR code
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0 m

Surface

Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.

spearo.app
calmupdated 17:34
Long Beach (NY) — solo, off the rocks
BORDERLINE
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · wave 1.2 m (occasionally up to ~2.4 m)
wave 1.2 m head-onwind 10, gusts 27 km/hsurge pounding the rocksvisibility ~3 m
today, best window 18:00–21:00
fish · Visibility 3 m · Water 20.9°C
confidence medium · verdict for the selected day
Whole week — tap a day. is driving swell right now.
Solo risk: carry a float · tell someone your plan and exit time · doubt = don't go. A model-based planner; the call is made on site.
Selected day

Windows, hours
and the day's trends.

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.

Wednesday · today2026-07-22
05:4220:19 · first quarter
01:00 08:00 14:00 21:00 · 1.1 m
Hours (06→20)
15
18
Day's trends
Tide-0.78 m
Wave1.12 m
Wind9 km/h
Water21 °C
fish activity: moonset 00:01 · moderate · moon underfoot 07:20 · high · moonrise 14:54 · moderate · moon overhead 19:40 · high
Conditions window15:00–18:00
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site fish
Hs 1.20 mperiod 6.5 s head-onwind 16→27surge 9viz 2 m
1.20 mup to ~2.40 · 172° head-on
6.5 sswell moderate
16→27gusts 27 km/h
9pounding the rocks
0.19m/s
2 mrecent swell
20.8°C5 mm + hood
▼21:00tide falling
Atmosphere24 kmlandmarks visible
moderatemoonrise
  • wave 1.2 m (occasionally up to ~2.4 m)
  • wind 16 km/h
  • ebb — weaker inshore
confidence mediumday
Open the seafloor map with entry points

Your best window — with you. Forecast in your pocket.

Android: the public release is in Google Play review — leave your email and we'll send beta access today.

Android beta — QR code
point your camera
−10 m

The water column

Visibility and what drives it — post-storm clearing, river plume, temperature and the thermocline.

What it is

A marine instrument,
go / no-go for solo hunting.

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 spots
−20 m

The seabed

Relief and bottom type, tides, and the depths of each spot.

On the rock

The forecast is the plan.
The call is on the rock.

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.

Entry points

Where to get in
off the rocks.

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 map
Atlantic Beach Reef (NYSDEC artificial reef)Long Beach (NY)
borderline
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
tide
shelter
hazard
access

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 Maps
Hempstead Reef (NYSDEC artificial reef)Long Beach (NY)
borderline
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
tide
shelter
hazard
access

Official NY artificial reef 3.3 nmi south of Jones Beach; rail cars, tug, bridge material and caissons at 50-72 ft.

Google Maps
Jones Inlet West Jetty (Point Lookout)Long Beach (NY)
borderline
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
tide
shelter
hazard
access

West 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 Maps

SOLO 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.

One morning glance — and you know.

Android: the public release is in Google Play review — leave your email and we'll send beta access today.

Android beta — QR code
point your camera

Surfacing

Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.

Live cameras, map & reference
Cameras · live

Look at the water
right now.

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».

connecting to the stream…
Long Beach / Skudin Surf (CCN)Direct HLS (ccn) — Long Beach / Skudin Surf (CCN). Token-free open stream. Read the water before you go.camera: ccn
Open the seafloor map →
Reference

What's in season,
what the law says.

In season now
  • tautog
    Tautoga onitis · 3–18 m · legal
  • black sea bass
    Centropristis striata · 5–40 m · legal
  • summer flounder (fluke)
    Paralichthys dentatus · 3–30 m · legal
  • scup (porgy)
    Stenotomus chrysops · 5–30 m · legal
  • bluefish
    Pomatomus saltatrix · 0–20 m · legal
  • striped bass
    Morone saxatilis · 0–15 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    Striped bass is spearable in RI/NY/NJ/DE/VA but BANNED in ME/MA/CT/MD (no ban in NH). Never gaff.
Law
  • 🚫 American lobster — NEVER by spear anywhere on the coast (hand-take only, under a separate dive permit).
  • 🚫 Sturgeon — total ban; sharks in many states (VA/NJ/NC) not by spear. Striped bass: see the species note.
Safety protocol
  • Sets: watch the wave trains ≥15 min before entering; Hmax ≈ 2×Hs, the wash can run 50 m past the foam line. A lull >10 min with period >12 s = a big set «overdue», do NOT enter; enter right after a full set passes and re-check at minute 30.
  • Exit FIRST: find your exit AND a backup before entering. On a rocky/boulder shore a 0.5 m rise in swell can make the exit impossible — getting pinned/unable to climb out is the main killer.
  • Headland rip: prominent points often have a permanent topographic rip regardless of the model — locate it, enter/exit on the windward side, never swim against it.
  • Cold: wetsuit per the SST chip; the first shiver = a metabolic surge and a drop in breath-hold → get out at the first steady shiver. Cap the session at 45–60 min below 15 °C.
  • Solo discipline: buoy up; tell someone the spot and exit time; conservative breath-hold (never push it in cold/murky/surfy water); visibility <3 m — don't enter.
  • Afternoon wind: on many coasts the wind builds from midday — plan to be out of the water by midday; the chop builds — get out.
  • UV 11:00–15:00 (UVI ≥6): sunscreen and cover up on the surface interval.
  • Solo is a fundamental risk (hypoxic blackout with no buddy). Any doubt = No-go.
Local guide · Long Beach (NY)

Spearfishing in Long Beach (NY): spots, seasons and rules

Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

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.

TL;DR

  • Spearfishing Long Beach NY is mostly reef and inlet structure: Atlantic Beach Reef, Hempstead Reef and Jones Inlet West Jetty.
  • The offshore reefs are official NYSDEC artificial reefs with wreck material, rail cars and barges in roughly 50 to 72 ft.
  • Long Beach NY water visibility is best after small south swell and settled inlet flow; a hard southerly makes it poor.
  • New York uses the no-fee Marine Fishing Registry, allows striped bass by spear, and never allows lobster by spear.

Best spearfishing spots in Long Beach NY

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.

SpotTypeDepthLevelAccessNotes
Atlantic Beach ReefNYSDEC artificial reefAbout 55 to 64 ftAdvanced freediving or boat-based teamBoat, about 3.0 nmi south of Atlantic BeachA 413-acre reef field with auto bodies, barges and a tug. Best after the ocean has settled long enough for bottom visibility.
Hempstead ReefNYSDEC artificial reefAbout 50 to 72 ftAdvanced boat diveBoat, about 3.3 nmi south of Jones BeachRail cars, bridge material, caissons and tug structure create relief. Plan current, anchor position and diver recall before loading.
Jones Inlet West JettyInlet jetty rockShallow rock to inlet edgeIntermediate with local timingPoint Lookout side, away from bathersUseful for tautog and sea bass structure, but not worth forcing on heavy current or crowded beach days.

How do New York rules shape the dive?

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.

When is Long Beach NY water visibility worth trying?

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.

What fish should spearos expect?

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.

FAQ

Do I need a New York saltwater registry?

Yes, most anglers age 16 and older need the no-fee Marine Fishing Registry.

Can I spear striped bass in New York?

New York rules list striped bass as spearable in New York, subject to limits.

Are Atlantic Beach Reef and Hempstead Reef official?

Yes. They are NYSDEC artificial reef sites and are boat-based dives.

Can lobster be taken by spear?

No. American lobster is never taken by spear.

Which NOAA station fits Long Beach NY?

NOAA NDBC Station 44065 is the nearby Long Island south-shore station.

Sources

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