The Box
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
39Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 3 ft swell at 7 s, 4 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 12kJ
- Wind
- WSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Wed 4 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 8kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 14kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Fri 6 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 57kJ
- Wind
- SSE 1 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 73kJ
- Wind
- N 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 72kJ
- Wind
- NNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Mon 9 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 54kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 27, too small
- Tue 312, too small
- Wed 49, too small
- Thu 518, too small
- Fri 639, poor
- Sat 759, fair
- Sun 853, fair
- Mon 934, too small
- Tue 1034, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft9 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the south, 9 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 15°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 18, too small | 1 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 17°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 39, poor | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 1 knot | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 59, fair | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | offshorewind from the north, 7 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 53, fair | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 72kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 34, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 54kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 34, poor | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 124kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 20 knots | 14°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:46 +0.6 mLow 06:47 −0.6 mHigh 13:04 +0.8 mLow 19:34 −0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 01:54 +0.6 mLow 07:57 −0.6 mHigh 14:10 +0.7 mLow 20:32 −0.7 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 02:55 +0.7 mLow 09:02 −0.6 mHigh 15:12 +0.7 mLow 21:26 −0.7 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
The Box on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of The Box
_66_-_Rockaway_Beach.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
More surf near here
5 places
- 92nd Street 0.5 km away
- East Rockaway Inlet Jetty 5.3 km away
- Jones Beach 7.3 km away
- Boogie Beach 2 9.5 km away
- Connecticut Street Jetty 9.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About The Box
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (158°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (338°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 3.2 km out (1 in 323). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 5°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 23°C in July, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Inwood, 7.1 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 2 wind sports spots.
Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$971–US$1,740 each
about US$971–US$1,740 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to JFK, estimated from distance and season, 4 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$161–US$328 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$147–US$241 |
| Total | about US$971–US$1,740 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
about 15 min by car · 4 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Inwood its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Lawrence on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 3 places to stay
- Beds in Long Beach on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 10 places to stay
About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 4h 35m
About 4h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → JFK, direct, then 25 min by road
Flights ORD → JFK on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.