The Most Unexpected Surf Scene in America

About an hour outside Manhattan is one of the more diverse surf scenes out there, and it’s not out east in Long Island or the Jersey Shore. It’s Rockaway Beach — a tight-knit beachside community about 20 minutes from the John F. Kennedy International Airport, nestled on the southernmost edge of Queens. 

This 11-mile-long peninsula attracts surfers from Manhattan, Upstate New York, and all over the world; however, unlike other beachside communities in Long Island like Montauk or the Hamptons, Rockaway remains relatively accessible and affordable. 

“Most waterfront properties are insanely expensive around the country, but for some reason Rockaway was kind of forgotten about by a lot of people. I think until Hurricane Sandy, it was neglected a lot of the time,” said Tyler Breuer, a lifelong surfer and staple in the Rockaway surf community. 

Breuer was destined to have a career in the surf world. His father, Winfried Breuer, owned Sundown Ski and Surf Shop in Levittown, New York — the second-oldest surf shop in the state. This April was particularly bittersweet for the family — after 60 years of operating the store, his father decided it was time to shut its doors and retire at the age of 83.  

“ His awful son right here didn't want to take over the business. I didn't want to do retail and work seven days a week,” Breuer joked. Instead, he hosts Swell Season Surf Radio, a New York-centric podcast that explores various surf topics and local surfer perspectives – which he records at Rockefeller Center’s Newsstand Studios, the same studio where Martha Stewart records her podcast. One of the defining aspects about Swell Season is its continuous commitment to showcasing the diversity of NYC’s surf scene, particularly the surfing community at Rockaway. 

“It’s a very unique surfing community. It does not exist in many places of the world. It's probably one of the most diverse lineups you'll see of surfers ... I love this community because you've got such a cross section of people,” Breuer told Now Frolic. 

Despite its Polynesian roots, surfing isn’t known for its inclusivity. Surf lineups around the world are often homogeneous, and known for gate-keeping, but step onto the beach at Rockaway and you’ll see people from all backgrounds ripping waves.

That diversity is largely due to grassroots community efforts and organizations that have introduced marginalized communities to surfing. 

One of these groups is Laru Beya Collective – a non-profit that “empowers historically excluded youth of the Far Rockaways through surfing,” according to the organization’s website. Laru Beya means “by the beach” in the Garifuna language, spoken by an Afro-Indigenous people of the same name who live throughout Central America and the Caribbean. 

The organization was founded by Rockaway locals and cousins Aydon Gabourel and Warren Sampson who, from a young age, noticed people who looked like them weren’t enjoying the beach and swimming in the ocean despite living in a beachside community.

When Gabourel’s daughter expressed interest in surfing he sprung into action, creating an organization to help BIPOC youth learn how to surf and ensure they are represented in local water sports. 

Surfer Farmata Dia participated in Laru Beya’s programming for many years. It was in the Rockaways she discovered her passion for surfing in 2018. The sport transformed Dia’s life, personally and professionally.

Of a family trip to Senegal, Dia shared that “surfing with my people was a culture shock. It was also the same time as Afro Cup, and Senegal won that year. To see that solidarity across the entire country, it was really cool. It makes me want to connect with myself and my culture.”

Professionally, surfing opened up an entirely new world while empowering Dia to reconnect with her roots and travel the world catching waves in hotspots like Bali, Central America, and Madeira. She has attended competitions and met surfing legends at Vans Pipe Masters in Hawaii, and was featured in a campaign for California-based surf brand Seea as well as in Session Magazine. Dia has earned exciting brand collaborations, too, including a capsule swimsuit collection with Ricki Beach Club that launched in summer 2024. “We were planning for it for over a year, and I was part of it every step of the way. Selecting the fabrics, patterns, et cetera,” Dia told Now Frolic.

Through it all, Dia uses surfing as a platform to honor her Senegalese roots. This year, she hosted a Surf Drive which activated the community to donate and send surfing equipment to Senegal. Dia attributes all of these opportunities to her experiences with Laru Beya. 

“I think the life I have and the person I am today is all a result of Laru Beya and the resources and knowledge that was poured into me. It just goes to show why organizations like Laru Beya have a direct effect on the youth, and I want to see more results,” Dia states. 

Dia has been an instructor for Laru Beya since 2021. Laru Beya is still recruiting for their summer sessions, and once people join, they tend to stick around. 

“We have a 97% retention rate, and one of our issues is capacity because none of our kids leave. They want to come back every year … surfing [becomes] their personality and whole life,” Dia said. 

Outside of organizations like Laru Beya, Rockaway’s waves and proximity to Manhattan attract individual surfers from different walks of life. On shore, a surfer might be a wealthy banker, a FDNY firefighter, or a freelance artist hopping from gig to gig, but none of that matters when they’re in the water. Their status on land disappears, and the rules of surfing kick in. 

“You can have people of different socioeconomic backgrounds right next to each other. You’ll have an uber wealthy art collector on the lineup and a plumber, but the plumber has seniority because they’ve surfed longer. It’s interesting to see those dynamics kind of inverted,” Breuer said. 

Who supplies the surf boards and equipment? Chris Gentile, founder of Pilgrim Surf + Supply in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. When asked directly about the diversity of the New York surf scene, he said rather matter-of-factly, “I feel like Rockaway is one of the most diverse surfing lineups in the world … [people] come from everywhere. [It’s a diverse] group of people in terms of genders, sexuality, economics, et cetera.” 

Gentile also noted the age of surfing beginners is older in New York than most spots, especially compared to the West Coast where kids are practically born learning how to surf. At Rockaway, it’s not unusual to see someone in their 40s or 50s just learning how to ride a wave.

“One of the things I always point out is that in New York there’s probably more people learning to surf later in their life than anywhere else I’ve seen. This is a big deal because when I was growing up, if you didn't get into surfing at a young age – you didn’t surf. The learning curve is intense; it’s a hard thing to learn. It takes a lot of knowledge and strength,” he said. 

His theory as to why New York attracts so many later-in-life surfers is compelling: “New York City in particular attracts people who are ambitious, with the capacity to be embarrassed,” Gentile told Now Frolic. “[They] understand what struggle is and what humility is, and they fully embrace it because they know the reward is like. They came here to pursue careers and a passion, and it's the most competitive and difficult place to do that … you have to be willing to be humbled. Surfing is a lesson in humility.” 

Gentile knows a thing or two about humility and following your passion. When he moved to New York in 2002, he didn’t set out with the intention of opening a surf shop that would become the metropolitan area’s surfer hub. He was a visual artist and moved here to pursue his career in the arts, and whether or not he liked to admit it, he was also a passionate surfer. 

“I grew up in Rhode Island and learned to surf when I was nine. Surfing has always been a big part of my life. I didn’t want to be associated with the common surfer stereotypes — degenerates, vagabonds that chase waves everywhere … [those stereotypes] aren’t true at all, but I was a closet surfer,” Gentile joked. It’s something he and William Finnegan — his good friend, fellow surfer, and Pulitzer-Prize winning author of Barbarian Days — often discuss. “It’s something Bill and I commiserate on.”

Over time, he learned to embrace the surfer label. As he planted roots in New York City and continued surfing, he realized there weren't any shops in the metropolitan area to engage the surf community. He decided to create one himself and viewed it as a casual, side project.

In 2007, Gentile opened a surf shop – Mollusk – in Williamsburg — which wasn’t the neighborhood we know today. 

“It was still mostly artists. It was a golden era of this neighborhood; it wasn't getting gentrified … it was all old industrial buildings and warehouse spaces so it was pretty desolate,” Gentile recalled. There wasn’t another retail store in near sight and the neighborhood seemed vacant. When Mollusk first opened, Gentile couldn’t believe the turnout — New York surfers needed a store like Mollusk. 

“People I couldn’t even have imagined surfed. There were thousands of surfers in NYC, and they showed up and kept showing up,” Gentile marvels. 

In 2012, he opened a new store, Pilgrim Surf + Supply, which became his full-time job and livelihood. Now in its thirteenth year, Pilgrim remains true to its mission of serving as a hub and engaging with the surf community locally and beyond. The store hosts multiple events per month including an annual fundraising event for Laru Beya, and regularly works with Surfrider Foundation – an organization that is devoted to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean and beaches. 

Gentile is particularly excited about the recent launch of their Pilgrim Residency Program. The residency invites select surfboard shapers from across the world to New York to practice their craft, get in front of Pilgrim customers, and share their design philosophy through Design Night discussions. 

This summer and throughout the year there will be no shortage of ways for New York surfers to stay connected to culture and meet like-minded community members — whether it's catching waves at Rockaway, surfing with a local organization like Laru Beya, listening to Swell Season Radio, or just strolling into Pilgrim to see what’s happening. 

You can guarantee the moment a summer storm is approaching and big swells are forecasted, the lineup will be out in full force at Rockaway. 

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