About Nantucket

An island off the coast of Massachusetts, Nantucket has a thriving beach scene during the summer and a consistent surf scene in the Autumn and winter, when the beach breaks on the south coast light up. In addition to a series of fun sand bars, there is also potential for novelty surf on the island. Surfers have ridden ferry waves on Nantucket, and every few years pictures pop up of frozen slurpee waves breaking during cold snaps in winter.

Source: Nantucket Surf Guide

Ability Level

All Abilities

Beg Int Adv

Nantucket Island has a number of different beach breaks appropriate for different levels.

Local Vibe

Welcoming

Welcoming Intimidating

There's a core crew of local surfers in Massachusetts, but Nantucket has enough sand bars for everyone to coexist peacefully.

Crowd Factor

Heavy

Mellow Heavy

Gets incredibly crowded in the summer, but less so in winter when it is freezing.

Spot Rating

Fun

Poor Perfect

Fun beach break peaks, particularly during Autumn and winter.

Shoulder Burn

Medium

Light Exhausting

As with most beach breaks, rips get strong during ground swells.

Water Quality

Clean

Clean Dirty

Water stays pretty clean, despite proximity to the East Coast.

Additional Information

Hazards

Crowds, hypothermia in winter.

Access

Beach-side parking and shuttles.

Bring Your

Shortboard, fish, funboard, longboard

Seabed

Sand.

Best Season

Autumn and winter have the best swells and conditions, although winter gets very cold.

Swell Consistency and Wind Overview

Photos & Videos