New York's Famed Surf Spot - Rockaway Beach Obliterated (W/VIDEO)

by: Editor

Rockaway Beach is the closest surf spot to Manhattan. Located in Queens to the south and east of the city between Manhattan and JFK, Rockaway is only 18 miles from Times Square and accessible by subway. It's home to a famed boardwalk and miles of sandy beach dotted by dozens of rock jetties known to create outstanding sandbars and spitting barrels. Just down the road are similarly setup Atlantic Beach and Long Beach, all of which share a common look and feel and propensity for quality surf. Just last year the Quiksilver Pro New York was held in Long Beach and benefited from classic hurricane swell -- a treat for the world's best surfers who attended the first ever ASP World Tour event in New York.

Unfortunately Rockaway, Atlantic and Long Beach marked the bull's eye of Hurricane Sandy's 14-foot storm surge. Pictures out today via Instagram (#longbeachny #rockawaybeach) indicate that power of Sandy's wrath. The famed boardwalk has been destroyed, sand dunes breached and even the skatepark obliterated.

In addition the village of Breezy Point on the western-most tip of Rockaway peninsula fell victim to a 6-alarm fire that the FDNY battled through the night (see video). It's been reported that 80-100 homes have been destroyed.

This is stunning reminder of the power of Mother Nature. Our thoughts go out to residents and fans of these hard hit areas (among many others).