Surfing in Maine

Maine surfing rewards those willing to brave cold water and variable conditions. The Gulf of Maine produces quality waves from late summer through spring, with fall and winter bringing the most consistent swells. This isn’t warm water beach culture - Maine surfing is wetsuits, rocky points, and dedicated locals who understand that good waves require commitment. For general beach information, see our guide to the best beaches in Maine.

Where surfing is legal, and when

Every town on Maine’s surfable coast regulates surfing by ordinance, and the rules differ from one beach to the next. Several of them close a beach to surfing for the whole summer, not just for lifeguard hours. Read this table before you plan a summer session. The linked ordinance is the authority; a surf forecast site is not.

Beach	When surfing is prohibited	Source
Short Sands, York	May 1 to October 15, all day	Ellis Short Sands Park Ordinance
Long Sands, York	June 14 to Labor Day, 9am to 5pm, inside the marked Swim Zone. Allowed in the Mixed Use Zone with a leash and 20 feet of clearance from swimmers	Town of York Beach Ordinance
All other York public beaches	June 14 to Labor Day, 9am to 5pm, with no mixed use exemption	Town of York Beach Ordinance
Higgins Beach, Scarborough	June 15 to September 15, 11am to 5pm. Every other Scarborough beach is open at any time	Scarborough Surfing Ordinance, Ch. 605
Old Orchard Beach	June 21 to Labor Day, 9am to 5pm, except the strip north of the pier	OOB Code of Ordinances, Ch. 42 Art. IV Div. 3
Wells Harbor	Year round, inside the mooring basin and between the jetties	Wells Harbor Ordinance, Ch. 124
Ogunquit	No seasonal or hourly ban. Lifeguards may designate separate surfing areas	Ogunquit Code, Ch. 147 Art. IV

Fines are real. York charges $300 for a first offense and $400 for a third, Scarborough between $100 and $500 plus costs, and Ellis Short Sands Park $100 rising to $250.

Two towns also write leash length into law. Scarborough requires a surfboard leash engaged at all times in the water, minimum 7 feet and maximum 10 feet. York defines a surf leash as a urethane cord at least 5 millimeters thick and no more than 10 feet long, and requires it in the Long Sands Mixed Use Zone.

Surf Spots

Higgins Beach

South of Portland in Scarborough, Higgins offers the most consistent surf in southern Maine. The beach faces southeast, catching swells from tropical storms and nor’easters.

Both beach breaks and a rocky point provide variety. The point holds bigger swells and creates longer rides. Beach breaks work better for beginners.

Higgins is the one Scarborough beach with a time restriction. Under Chapter 605 of the town’s ordinances, nobody may surf at Higgins between 11am and 5pm from June 15 to September 15 inclusive. From September 16 to June 14 it is open at any time. Every other public beach in Scarborough, including Pine Point and Ferry Beach, is open to surfing at any hour year round. A leash between 7 and 10 feet must be engaged whenever your board is in the water, anywhere in town.

Scarborough posts no lifeguards at Higgins Beach. There is a public restroom and a year-round shower, but nobody is watching the water.

Parking is the real constraint. The municipal lot at 41 Ocean Avenue charges $20 a day for cars and motorcycles, collected 7am to 5:30pm, and the lot is open sunrise to sunset with towing enforced. There is no street parking at Higgins at any time of year apart from the metered one-hour spaces on Bayview Avenue, which run $5 an hour from 6am to 10pm between May 1 and September 15. Season passes are $40 for Scarborough residents. Non-resident season passes are capped at 350 and cost $200; they sold out for the 2026 season on April 30, so a visitor in summer is paying the daily rate or arriving early enough to find a space.

The bottom is sand and rock. Watch for submerged rocks at low tide. The local crew is protective but generally welcoming to respectful visitors.

Long Sands Beach

York’s main beach offers accessible surfing with amenities. The long stretch of sand creates multiple peaks spreading crowds.

This spot works on northeast and southeast swells. Sandbars shift seasonally, creating temporary quality peaks. The beach is exposed, so wind affects conditions significantly.

Long Sands is zoned. The Town of York Beach Ordinance, amended November 4 2025, splits the beach into a Swim Zone and a Mixed Use Zone and applies the split from June 14 to and including Labor Day, between 9am and 5pm. Inside the Swim Zone, which runs from the Beacon Street staircase to the Long Sands General Store staircase and from Sun-n-Surf Restaurant to the Webber Road staircase, surfing is prohibited during those hours. In the Mixed Use Zone it is allowed provided your leash is engaged at all times and you stay at least 20 feet from any swimmer. The Swim Zone is marked with buoys, line floats or flags, so you can see where you stand from the water. On days when the beach is nearly empty in bad weather, the Parks and Recreation Director can temporarily reclassify the whole beach as Mixed Use.

Outside that window, from Labor Day through to mid-June and before 9am or after 5pm in high summer, the whole beach is open.

Parking is $4 an hour at town kiosks, enforced seven days a week from 8am to 10pm between April 15 and October 31. Bathrooms and food are available. Liquid Dreams has a shop at 171 Long Beach Avenue, on the beach itself, which rents boards and wetsuits and runs most of its lessons here. This is the most beginner-friendly location on this list, with the caveat that a summer lesson has to be booked outside the restricted hours.

Short Sands Beach

Also in York, Short Sands sits in a cove protected from north winds. The compact beach creates focused waves but gets crowded.

Surfing at Short Sands is banned for five and a half months of the year. The beach sits inside Ellis Short Sands Park, which is governed by its own trustees rather than the town beach ordinance, and their ordinance states plainly that surfing and the use of surfboards are prohibited from May 1 to October 15. There is no morning or evening exemption. Violations carry a civil penalty of $100, rising to $150 and then $250. Do not plan a summer session here, and do not assume an early start makes it legal.

From October 16 to April 30 the cove is open, and it earns its reputation then. It is better for smaller swells; big days create closeouts, meaning waves breaking all at once across the beach. The sheltered position means it can be surfable when the exposed beaches are blown out, which is exactly the winter scenario the ordinance leaves alone.

The local scene is tight. Respect the pecking order.

Ogunquit Beach

This long sandy beach catches swells well. Multiple peaks allow spreading out even on busy days.

Ogunquit is the most permissive town on this list. Chapter 147, Article IV of the town code contains no seasonal or hourly ban on surfing. What it does contain is section 147-17D, which gives the lifeguard authority to designate separate areas for surfboarding, windsurfing and small craft. In practice that means you surf where the guards put you during guarded hours rather than being shut out of the water. The beach itself is closed to everyone from 11pm to 5am from May through October, and smoking is prohibited on all three Ogunquit beaches.

The town is tourist-oriented with parking, food, and services. Parking is metered and expensive in season, running $9 an hour and $50 a day at Main Beach, down to $2.25 an hour at Jacobs. Liquid Dreams has its flagship shop at 696 Main Street on Route 1.

Rivermouth currents affect the break. Sandbars shift. Rip currents can be strong - know how to handle them.

Winter surfing at Ogunquit is serious business. Water this far south still drops to the high 30s by late winter. Only experienced cold water surfers should paddle out, and plan your gear before you arrive: of the five shops listed below, only Aquaholics in Kennebunk and Wheels N Waves in Wells publish winter wetsuit rental rates.

Old Orchard Beach

Maine’s most tourist-heavy beach also has surf. Beachbreaks are consistent but often messy. This isn’t a high-quality wave but it’s rideable and accessible.

Go to the pier, do not avoid it. Old Orchard Beach’s surfing ordinance makes it unlawful to surf anywhere along the town’s shore between June 21 and Labor Day except at the times and places the ordinance names. Those are: anywhere along the entire beach between 5pm and 9am, and, at all times, the strip on the northerly side of the Old Orchard Pier out to a point 125 yards from it. The pier zone is the one place you can legally surf in the middle of a summer day, and it is marked with signs, ropes or buoys. During inclement weather the lifeguard staff may open the whole shore at any hour at their discretion. From Labor Day to June 21 the entire beach is open at all times.

Summer is chaos with tourists. Off-season provides better conditions and fewer people. Winter storms light up Old Orchard with powerful beachbreak, though the one surf shop in town shuts for the season.

Good for learning due to sandy bottom and generally forgiving waves. Corner’s Surf Company, which sits at 4A West Grand Avenue right by the pier, schedules its lessons at 8am and 9am, which is how a summer beginner lesson stays inside the law.

Wells Beach

Wells has more than three miles of sand and a jetty at the harbor mouth, and the town imposes no seasonal or hourly surfing restriction on its beaches at all. Wheels N Waves, which has been in Wells more than 40 years, names the Wells Beach Jetty and Ogunquit Beach as the two most popular breaks near the shop and says a break covering most wind directions sits within 15 to 20 minutes of town.

The one hard rule is a harbor rule, not a beach rule. Under section 124-18 of the Wells Harbor Ordinance, swimming and surfing are prohibited at all times inside the mooring basin and in the areas between the jetties. The sandbar that forms outside the jetty is fair game; the channel between them is not.

Lifeguards cover the beaches weekends only from Memorial Day weekend through the last week of June, daily from then to Labor Day, and weekends again from Labor Day weekend through Indigenous Peoples’ Day weekend. Paid beach lots run $5 an hour from 8am to 6pm, from the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend through Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Casino Square at the end of Mile Road and Harbor Park are free.

Reid State Park

Georgetown’s state park offers a beautiful setting with two sandy beaches, Mile Beach and Half Mile Beach, separated by the rocky headland at Griffith Head. Mile Beach faces more open water and gets better swells. Maine’s own Bureau of Parks and Lands notes on the park’s page that Boston Globe Magazine rated the beach the best in New England for surfing in May 2015.

Rocky headlands define the beaches. Some reef breaks work during bigger swells but require experience and local knowledge.

The park is open daily from 9am to sunset year round unless otherwise posted, so a winter session is limited by an early sunset rather than by shorter posted hours. Temporary pre-sunset gate closures can happen in any season, and the park runs a text alert service. If the vehicle gate is shut you may still park legally outside it and walk in.

Day-use fees are charged per person, not per vehicle: $6 for an adult Maine resident, $8 for an adult non-resident, $2 for a non-resident senior, $1 for children 5 to 11, free under 5 and free for Maine residents 65 and over. Bring cash. Only about 15 state park locations take cards, and only when the entry booth is staffed. Parking fills on good wave days.

Mile and Half Mile are nesting habitat for endangered least terns and piping plovers, so sections are roped off through the nesting season. Water is colder here than southern Maine. Current can be strong. This is a less-traveled surf spot worth exploring.

Water Temperature

Guess at Maine water temperature and you will guess wrong, usually warm. NOAA measures it continuously at buoy 44007, twelve nautical miles southeast of Portland, and publishes the monthly averages in its Coastal Water Temperature Guide.

Month	Avg °F	Month	Avg °F
January	41.5	July	61.5
February	39.0	August	63.7
March	38.6	September	60.6
April	42.0	October	55.2
May	48.6	November	49.9
June	55.9	December	45.1

Two things in that table surprise people. The warmest month is August at 63.7°F, which is cool enough that most surfers still wear a suit at the peak of summer. And the coldest month is March, not January. Water lags air by roughly two months, so the season’s real low arrives after the snow has started to go. A March session is the coldest water you will ever paddle into in Maine.

The buoy sits offshore. Water right at the beach runs a little warmer in high summer and a little colder in late winter, and a rivermouth or an incoming tide over a cold flat can shift it several degrees in either direction.

Seasonal Conditions

Summer (June-August)

Summer is generally flat. Gulf of Maine swells are minimal. Occasional tropical storms send waves, but consistent surf is rare.

Water peaks at an average 63.7°F in August, the warmest of the year. Tourist crowds pack beaches. Parking is difficult and expensive.

Summer is best for learning to surf. Small waves, warmer water, and plenty of daylight help beginners progress. It is also when the surfing ordinances bite hardest, so check the table at the top of this page before you plan a session between 9am and 5pm.

Experienced surfers mostly wait for fall. Some travel to warmer waters or focus on other activities.

Fall (September-November)

Peak surf season. Hurricane swells from the Atlantic generate consistent waves. Early season nor’easters begin firing.

Water averages 60.6°F in September, 55.2°F in October and 49.9°F in November, so it crosses out of the 50s right at the end of the season. Fall wetsuits become necessary from October, and a hood and gloves from November.

Crowds thin as tourists leave. Locals reclaim beaches. Surf lineups get more serious. Every summer restriction has lapsed by mid-September, and Short Sands reopens to surfing on October 16.

Weather is variable. Beautiful sunny days alternate with storms. Wind can be strong but also creates the swells.

This is the best time to surf in Maine. Consistent swells, manageable water temps, and fewer crowds create ideal conditions.

Winter (December-February)

Hardcore surfing season. Water falls from an average 45.1°F in December to 39.0°F in February. Only serious cold water surfers paddle out.

Nor’easters produce the biggest, most powerful swells. Storms can generate overhead to double-overhead surf.

Icing is real. Wetsuits freeze between sessions. Changing outdoors requires mental toughness. Water feels painfully cold despite a 6mm suit.

Crowds are minimal. The commitment required filters out casual surfers. Respect grows for those willing to surf these conditions.

Daylight is limited. Winter storms bring dark skies. Surfing in the cold and gloom isn’t for everyone.

Spring (March-May)

March is the coldest water of the year at an average 38.6°F, colder than any winter month. Anyone who thinks of spring as the easy end of the cold season has the calendar wrong. Wetsuits are still necessary through the entire season.

Swells continue but become less consistent than winter. Spring storms generate waves but weather turns variable.

Water reaches 42.0°F in April and 48.6°F in May, so the thaw is slow and late. Wetsuit thickness can come down a step by late May. Daylight extends.

Spring surfing offers quality without winter extremes. Less crowded than fall but with good waves. Short Sands closes to surfing on May 1, and the Higgins and Long Sands restrictions start in mid-June.

Wetsuits and Cold Water Gear

Wetsuit Thickness

Thickness is a matter of tolerance rather than regulation, and nobody publishes an authoritative table, so treat the following as the convention rather than a rule. Match it against the measured water temperatures above and your own cold tolerance.

Summer and early fall: a 3/2mm fullsuit for water in the low 60s. This is what Maine rental shops stock by default; Liquid Dreams states that most of its rental wetsuits are 3/2mm with select sizes in 4/3mm.

Late fall: 4/3mm as water drops through the 50s.

Winter and early spring: 5/4mm or 6/5mm with hood, boots, and gloves. Water in the high 30s and low 40s requires maximum insulation, and remember that March is colder than January.

Boots, Gloves, and Hoods

Neoprene boots are necessary October through May. Rocky entries make them essential for safety beyond warmth.

Gloves decrease dexterity but keep hands functional. Mitts are warmer than gloves. Some surfers tough it out without, but most use them in winter.

Hoods prevent heat loss through your head. Essential for winter surfing. Many surfers start wearing hoods in November.

Renting cold water gear

Most Maine shops rent summer suits only, which catches visitors out. Of the five shops in this guide, two publish winter rental rates:

• Aquaholics in Kennebunk rents a winter-weight suit hooded and with booties and mitts for $50 a day or $160 a week. Its summer-weight suit is $20 a day or $70 a week.
• Wheels N Waves in Wells rents a winter wetsuit for $20 for four hours, $25 all day or $100 a week, and rents gloves, booties and hoods separately at $5 each per day. Its standard wetsuit is $10 for four hours, $15 all day, $65 a week.

Black Point Surf Shop in Scarborough states on its own booking page that it does not rent winter wetsuits or accessories, so do not turn up there in February expecting one. Its summer wetsuit rental is $20 for a half day, $35 for 24 hours and $100 a week.

Buying the full cold water setup, meaning a thick suit plus boots, gloves and hood, costs several hundred dollars. Prices vary too much by brand and season for a figure here to be useful, so ask one of the shops above what they are currently carrying.

Wetsuit Care

Rinse with fresh water after every session. Salt degrades neoprene.

Hang inside-out to dry in shade. Sun damages wetsuits.

Store flat or on wide hangers, never folded. Creases become permanent.

Wetsuits last 1-3 years with regular use. When they lose stretch and warmth, replace them.

Surf Shops

Maine’s surf shops are clustered along the southern coast between Kennebunk and Scarborough. Every shop below was checked against its own website; rates are what the operator publishes and will move, so confirm before you drive.

Aquaholics Surf Shop, Kennebunk

166 Port Road, Kennebunk Lower Village. aquaholicsurf.com, (207) 967-8650. Open daily 8am to 5pm, from 10am on Saturday. Trading since 2002 out of a converted church.

The one shop in the state that makes a point of renting proper winter kit. Rental rates: beginner surfboard $25 half day, $35 a day, $125 a week; performance board $35 half day, $45 a day, $175 a week; summer wetsuit $20 a day; winter wetsuit hooded with booties and mitts $50 a day, $160 a week.

Liquid Dreams Surf Shop, Ogunquit and York

Two shops. The flagship is at 696 Main Street on Route 1 in Ogunquit, (207) 641-2545, and the second is at 171 Long Beach Avenue in York, on Long Sands itself, (207) 351-2545. liquiddreamssurf.com. Summer hours are 9am to 9pm in Ogunquit and 8am to 8pm in York; call ahead outside the season. The site runs a live surf report and cam for Long Sands.

Rental rates, which the shop dates on the page: surfboard $25 for a half day, $35 for a full day, $45 overnight, with hourly rental at $10 available at York only and fiberglass boards $10 extra. Wetsuits $15 half day, $20 full day, $30 overnight. SUPs $40, $60, $70, or $250 a week. Bodyboards $15 half day, $20 full day. A broken fin is charged at $15.

Wheels N Waves, Wells

365 Post Road on Route 1, Wells. wheelsnwaves.com, (207) 646-5774. Open daily 9am to 6pm. The shop describes itself as having taught surfing for more than 40 years and rents bikes as well as boards.

Rental rates run cheaper than anywhere else on the coast and are published as a full ladder from four hours to two weeks: surfboard $15 for four hours, $25 all day, $100 a week; a LibTech or Lost performance board $20, $30 and $160; wetsuit $10, $15 and $65; winter wetsuit $20, $25 and $100. Gloves, booties and hoods are $5 each per day.

Black Point Surf Shop, Scarborough

134 Black Point Road, Scarborough, a few minutes from Higgins and Scarborough Beaches. blackpointsurfshop.com, (207) 939-6016. Genuinely year round: summer hours are 9am to 6pm weekdays and 9am to 5pm weekends, winter hours 10am to 6pm and 10am to 5pm. Boards and SUPs are shaped in house by McDermott Shapes, and the shop does ding repair and board restoration.

Rental rates: surfboard $35 for a half day, $50 for 24 hours, $150 a week; fiberglass board $65, $100 and $350; SUP $50, $75 and $260; wetsuit $20, $35 and $100. Delivery is available for $25. The shop does not rent in high surf or dangerous conditions, and does not rent winter suits at all.

Corner’s Surf Company, Old Orchard Beach

4A West Grand Avenue, on the pier. cornerssurf.com, (207) 937-8615. Summer hours 7am to 9pm daily, spring hours 9am to 4pm, and closed for the winter until April 1, so this is not a cold-season option.

Rental rates: a surfboard and wetsuit together are $45 for a full day or $35 for four hours. A wetsuit alone is $20 a day, a bodyboard $20 and a skimboard $40.

These shops are community hubs. Bulletin boards list used gear. Staff know conditions and will steer you to spots matching your ability. Book ahead for weekends.

Lessons

Several shops offer surf lessons, ranging from one-hour intro sessions to week-long camps. Beginners benefit enormously from instruction; learning proper paddling, positioning, and pop-up technique prevents bad habits.

Note how the schedules are built. Almost every summer lesson slot on this coast falls before 9am or after 5pm, which is not a coincidence: those are the hours the town ordinances leave open.

Shop	What it costs	Detail
Liquid Dreams	Group $70 per person, private $105 per person	Group lessons run 4 surfers to 1 instructor and last two hours. Slots at 8am, 2pm and 5pm in York, 10am and 3pm in Ogunquit. A three-session camp is $180, and the five-day Ride the 5 camp for ages 8 to 19 is $495
Aquaholics	Private from $110 for one person	1.5 hours of theory and practice. $180 for two people, $250 for three, $360 for four, up to $500 for six. Summer camps $200 per participant for ages 6 and up. An adult group session runs Thursdays in July and August at $60
Black Point	Private $110, each additional person $85	1.5 hours total including one hour of water time, maximum 4 participants. Lesson slots at 6am, 7am, 8am, 9am, 5pm and 6pm. Parking fees are not included
Corner’s Surf Co	Free with a $45 equipment rental	One-hour lesson at 8am or 9am, seven days a week, including board, wetsuit and photos, and you keep the gear for the rest of the day. Phone or in-person booking only

Summer is peak lesson season. Book ahead, and book early or late in the day. Instructors provide boards and wetsuits.

Most lessons happen at Long Sands, Higgins, or Old Orchard where sandy bottoms and manageable waves suit learning.

Lineup Etiquette

Maine surf culture values respect and following unwritten rules. Learn and follow these protocols:

Priority

The surfer closest to the peak has priority. Don’t drop in (take off in front of someone already riding).

If someone is up and riding, you’ve missed your turn. Paddle around the break to get back in position.

Taking Turns

Locals often have understood rotation. Watch and learn the pattern. Don’t paddle out and immediately start taking every wave.

Spread the waves around. If you just got a good ride, let others have turns.

Respect Locals

Regular surfers at a break have earned respect through consistency and commitment. Acknowledge this.

Don’t show up in a crowd and act entitled. Be friendly, wait your turn, and prove you can surf competently.

Safety

Control your board. If you’re learning, stay away from crowds. Loose boards hit people.

Wear your leash. In Scarborough and in the Long Sands Mixed Use Zone it is not etiquette, it is law, with fines attached. Scarborough specifies 7 to 10 feet; York specifies no more than 10 feet and at least 5 millimeters thick.

Know your limits. Don’t paddle out in conditions beyond your ability. You endanger yourself and those who might need to rescue you. Higgins Beach and Ferry Beach have no lifeguards at any time of year, and no Maine beach is guarded outside the summer season, which is exactly when the surf is best.

Communication

Make eye contact and communicate in the lineup. A nod or hand signal clarifies who’s taking a wave.

Apologize when you make mistakes. Drop-ins happen. Say sorry and move on.

Hurricane Season

August through October, tropical systems in the Atlantic send swell to Maine. These can create the best waves of the year.

Monitor weather forecasts and surf forecasts. Hurricanes tracking up the coast produce the most consistent swell.

The danger is that these storms also bring wind and rain. Timing is key - waves arrive before storms make landfall.

Rip currents intensify during big swells. Strong surfing skills are necessary. These aren’t beginner conditions.

Maine rarely sees hurricane direct hits, but the swell energy travels hundreds of miles ahead of storms.

Safety Considerations

Cold Water Shock

Sudden immersion in cold water triggers gasping reflex and rapid breathing. This can lead to drowning.

Enter water gradually when possible. Splash cold water on face before duck diving under waves.

If you fall in suddenly, control breathing. Focus on calm, measured breaths until shock passes in 1-2 minutes.

Hypothermia

Extended time in cold water lowers body temperature dangerously. Symptoms include shivering, confusion, and loss of coordination.

Limit session length in winter. When you start feeling cold, end your session. Don’t push it.

Have warm clothes ready in your car. Change immediately after surfing. Hot shower or bath helps.

Drink warm liquids. Avoid alcohol, which increases heat loss.

Rips and Currents

Rip currents pull water away from beach through channels. They’re strongest during big swells at low tide.

If caught in rip, don’t panic. Swim parallel to beach until out of current, then angle back to shore.

Rips can aid paddling out but make getting in harder. Plan your entry and exit points.

Rocky Entries and Exits

Many Maine surf spots have rocks. Time waves carefully when entering and exiting.

Booties protect feet. Watch where you step.

Getting thrown onto rocks happens. Protect your head. Accept some scrapes as part of Maine surfing.

Marine Life

White sharks are present in Maine waters, drawn by recovering seal populations. The Maine Department of Marine Resources puts the relative risk of an encounter as very small, and gives surfers, swimmers and paddlers the same short list of precautions:

• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Swim, paddle and surf in groups.
• Avoid areas where there are seals or schooling fish.
• Avoid being in the water at dawn or dusk, when the light is low.

DMR runs a sighting report form for anyone who wants a species confirmed, and shares the data with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s Sharktivity app.

If you see a shark, exit the water calmly. Don’t thrash or panic.

Jellyfish are more common problems. Lion’s mane jellies sting. Rinse with vinegar if stung.

Local Culture

Maine surfing culture is less flashy than California or Hawaii. It’s a working-class sport practiced by dedicated locals.

Many Maine surfers are fishermen, lobstermen, or blue-collar workers who surf before or after work shifts.

The surfing isn’t about lifestyle branding. It’s about riding waves in challenging conditions because you love it.

Respect this culture. Don’t show up with expensive gear and attitude. Humility and genuine stoke earn acceptance.

The community is small and tight. Regulars know each other. New faces are noticed. Be friendly and respectful.

Getting Started

Rent equipment and take a lesson. Don’t buy a board until you know what you want.

Start in summer on small days. Build skills before tackling fall swells and cold water. Book that first summer session before 9am or after 5pm, which is what the ordinances allow and what every shop schedules around anyway.

Surf with others when learning. Never surf alone in challenging conditions.

Study surf forecasting. Learn to read swell direction, period, and wind forecasts.

Accept that you’ll be uncomfortable. Cold water, wipeouts, and tired muscles are part of learning.

Progress takes time. Don’t get discouraged. Every session builds skills.

Beyond the Beaches

Maine’s surfing extends beyond established spots. Rocky points and remote beaches offer uncrowded waves to those willing to explore.

This requires local knowledge, proper equipment, and skill. Don’t explore alone. Hazards include cold water, rocks, and remoteness.

Some surfers keep their secret spots private. Respect this. Sharing information isn’t expected in Maine surf culture.

The reward for exploration is empty lineups and quality waves. This is advanced surfing requiring confidence and competence.

Why Surf in Maine

It’s challenging. Cold water, rocky coasts, and variable conditions demand commitment.

It’s rewarding. Catching waves when the water is 38 degrees, which is the March average off Portland, when snow falls during your session, creates stories and builds character.

It’s beautiful. Surfing with pine forests on shore, rocky cliffs, lighthouses in view - this is surfing in a unique setting.

The community is authentic. Maine surfers do it for love of surfing, not image or status.

And when everything aligns - clean swell, offshore wind, no crowds - Maine produces world-class waves.

If you’re serious about surfing and willing to embrace challenge, Maine offers opportunities that fair-weather surfers never experience.

Bundle up, wax your board, and paddle out. The water’s cold, the waves are waiting, and the Maine surf community welcomes those brave enough to join them.