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Easy to get to from town. Outdoor showers a perk. Clean, safe and friendly. Always a great beach to visit.
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Date of experience: September 2020
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This is a nice beach, with parking, bath house, shower, and a really good snack stand. There are bike racks and a path to take you to the beach. Surf can be calm but is generally rougher.
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Date of experience: July 2020
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We usually don’t go to Surfside because of the young grandchildren, but our favorite beach - Steppes- had issues with seaweed. So we hopped on our bikes to Surfside. The water was clear and the beach not crowded. My only concern here is the rough surf. Have to say the food from the concession was excellent. …
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Date of experience: August 2019
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+1
I WAS UNDERWHELMED BUT READILY UNDERSTAND WHY SOME PEOPLE THINK IT THE ANTS PANTS. For a start many visitors only see a beach once a year so that any strip of wide silica flanked by sparkling ocean floats their boat. Whereas I’m a bit blasé – as a beach blogger with over 3 million hits I’ve spent time on thousands of beaches over the years and it takes something pretty special to get me enthusiastic. And I’m afraid long featureless beaches like SURFSIDE, backed by low dunes covered with boring dune grass aint special (ain’t terrible either – just very average – the US east coast has hundreds). I like my beaches shortish and book-ended by headlands, their rock platforms probably containing some interesting pools. And backed by forest-covered hill or mountain sides, or at least high scrub/forest covered dunes. Secondly, many more discerning US beach-goers actually prefer the sense of space offered by big open endless beaches like SURFSIDE and when they find one will fire in a gushing report like many on this page. MORE ABOUT THIS BEACH It’s actually a section of the very long strip of sand which lines the island’s southern coast – different sections are given their own names eg FISHERMAN’S BEACH is to the east and MIACOMET to the west. Width and gradient varies along this coast but at SUNSET it is plenty wide and relatively flat. Sand is fairly fine and a more yellow-grey-brown than the white stuff you find in say JAMAICA. The exception is near the long access path thru the dunes where some dirt and stones from the parking area pollute the sand. Surf was benign the days I visited but facing the open ocean means conditions can vary markedly. So it is good that this beach has lifeguards. All the same, watch your kids carefully, they can get into trouble so quickly. The lifeguards may be distracted by those hot college girls and not notice junior streaking for PORTUGAL in the rip current de jour**. I found the water pretty clear, the temperature around 70F (nice) which is normal for late summer, and gentle shelving of the ocean floor. But the latter can be changed quickly by stormy seas. The access path thru the low boring dune area is at least 200m long, has a lot of small stones and some sharp grass seeds, so footwear is recommended. At the inland end is a sizeable car park, some dressing sheds and a food concession which I thought expensive for pretty ordinary tucker. Around back is a taco truck and some picnic tables. The beach bus from town (every 40 mutes 10.00-17.40) terminates in the car park. Plenty of bicycle parking nearby. There was a good crowd both days I visited – about 400m east was another group of people, no doubt where a track or road accessed the sand and 600m west a bunch of offroad vehicles had parked up on the sand and were having beer and bbq tailgate parties. I think they had accessed via HILLSIDE AVE which is sandy/rough its beach end. **if caught in a rip current and exhausted simply tread water (minimal effort activity) and let it carry you out the back. Even the biggest rips dissipate less than 200m off the sand. It’s nice out there and you will soon be noticed. Don’t try to swim against a rip, you can’t. If not exhausted swim across - rips are narrow. Don’t try to rescue others – too many people drown trying to save friends and family. Alert the lifeguards who have rescue and surf skills.…
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Date of experience: August 2019
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We parked as close as we could legally find near Miacomet and tried to walk/bike down to Surfside towing two young children in a buggy on the wet sand near the surf. We soon found it was way more effort than it was worth. Didn't even stop to enjoy the beach, although we chatted briefly with some friendly naturalists. Got to Surfside, dog tired, and unhitched the buggy. I biked on the roads and trails back to our car, and then came back for the family.…
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Date of experience: July 2019
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