Hurricane Erin, churning offshore Friday, sent powerful waves and rip currents crashing onto New York City’s beaches, prompting officials to ban swimming.

Beachgoers were still allowed on the sand, but city officials said surf conditions were too dangerous to enter the water. At Rockaway Beach, the warnings didn’t stop surfers, who called the conditions ideal.

What You Need To Know

  • Hurricane Erin, churning offshore Friday, sent powerful waves and rip currents crashing onto New York City’s beaches

  • Beachgoers were still allowed on the sand, but city officials said surf conditions were too dangerous to enter the water

  • At Rockaway Beach, the warnings didn’t stop surfers, who called the conditions ideal

“You see the waves are breaking top to bottom,” said Christopher Gaby, who was surfing near Beach 84th Street Friday. “I mean, obviously, it’s not a day for swimming. You know, this is for surfers.”

Some described the surf as unlike anything normally seen in the city. 

“Looks like Hawaii out there, looks like Indonesia,” said Jeffrey Wrentschler, another surfer watching from a distance.

Officials said waves could reach up to 16 feet along parts of the coastline. New York City Emergency Management urged residents to avoid the water, warning that rip currents can quickly pull even experienced swimmers away from shore.

“The danger for me is I’m gonna get yelled at by the surfers that are much better than me,” Wrentschler joked.

Patrick Kern, who used to live in New York and returned from Maryland for the storm, said he did not want to miss the opportunity.

“The winds are really good, you can see that the water is not choppy at all, and the waves are really smooth and clean,” he said.

Even seasoned surfers acknowledged the hazards.

“There’s a big current ripping so you gotta keep moving, or you’ll be halfway down the beach in a minute,” said Connor Brala. “Not the day to try to learn how to surf.”

Some surfers said they were hoping the storm would stay far enough offshore to bring waves without serious flooding or damage. 

“This is what we wait for all year around,” Gaby said. “This is the best time, coming into now, until the winter. And even the winter is good too. But this is hurricane season and especially when they stay offshore like this, and they bring good waves and really not a lot of flooding here to New York and damage, we’re stoked for that.”

Hurricane season, which peaks in about two weeks, runs until the end of November.