92nd Street

📍 Local Knowledge

92nd Street is one of Rockaway’s most reliable jetty setups, and it performs best on ESE swell, which lines up cleanly with the jetty and the local sandbars. It also handles SE and SSE swell well, but ESE delivers the most consistent shape, longest walls, and the best balance of push and control. With N–NNW offshore winds, the wave face stays open and rippable. The spot responds to both local windswells and long-period groundswells, but autumn hurricane season is when it really turns on. Long-period SE and SSE pulses bring power, while ESE hurricane swell tends to produce the most organized and surfable conditions. Rockaway’s position relative to the Hudson Canyon gives 92nd Street an extra boost on longer-period south and southeast swells. The canyon’s depth and geometry help preserve and refract energy toward the Rockaway coastline, which explains why the waves here often feel larger and better-shaped than buoy readings alone would suggest. The effect is most noticeable on S–SE long-period swells, which gain additional wrap and organization as they approach the beach — even though ESE remains the directional sweet spot. When the swell angle, period, sand, and offshore winds all line up, 92nd Street can be excellent — but expect crowds, especially on those prized ESE days.