Circle Beach / New York / United States

This is a bit of a sloppy spot but it is ok for learning to surf on and has a friendly atmosphere.

The beach is the outer edge of the circle in the name – that’s an enclosed bay with a marina in it. In the summer, you’ll find temperatures are a comfortable 25c at the most, tapering off into the fall when it will be down to about 11c by October.

Good wind directions here are when it is blowing from the south or southeast, and the swell is best when working from either the north or northwest, though it’s fairly sheltered and you shouldn’t expect much from either of them. Keep to the left of the main surf crowds to find the best waves. The swell starts at about 1m or so and just about holds up over 2m, though it works at all tide positions and on both rising and falling tides. It’s a beach break and the waves are fast and can be ledgey, but they don’t really have any power in them. Length is typically a short 50m at most, though a really good day can see over 100m. It gets really crowded on a summer weekend, but there won’t be many others out during the week,

There’s a food stand and usually an ice cream van on hand here, so you can get fed but not much more than that. There’s a parking lot right at the end of Pine Neck Road.

Watch out for pollution coming out of the bay exit. You’ll also need to mind the currents, and there are man-made hazards like the navigation buoys to avoid.