Travel blog, ParkSleepFly (www.parksleepfly.com) has published it’s list of the best surfing spots in the USA and the world…and Montauk, of course, is on it. I’m sure it’s no surprise to Montauk surfers that Montauk came in towards the top, ranking as #4 for the year in the USA, and as the best surf spot GLOBALLY for the month of September. This is how they did it:
Initially, ranking lists of surfing spots for the terms ‘top surfing spots around the world and ‘the world’s best surfing spots’ were analyzed to create a list of 150 key surfing locations. This list was then narrowed down to 30 focusing only on those with the highest search volume. From here any surfing locations that were not surf breaks were reviewed using the quality rating from www.surf-forecast.com. The surf breaks with the highest ratings were selected. Using this list we then undertook research into the following factors to identify the best surfing spots across the world.
Google Searches: Using Keyword Planner, average search volumes for the keyphrases that contain the location name and surfing term [example, ‘surfing in Bali’] were analyzed to reveal the overall search volume for each surfing spot.
Instagram Tags: Social data was gathered by analyzing the number of times each surfing spot was tagged on Instagram along with the word surf or surfing e.g. waikikisurf and waikikisurfing.
Coastline Length: To determine coastline length details a combination of tourist boards and surfing publications were used.
Average Sea Temperatures: Finding the lowest and highest sea temperatures in each location were completed using seatemperatures.net, and lowpressure.co.uk.
Best Month to Surf: To identify the best month to surf in each location www.surf-forecast.com was used, for the locations where the best surfing month was unavailable alternative surfing publication sources were used, www.mywavefinder.com and www.surfline.com.
The top four are listed below. See the chart below for the top ten.
1. Cocoa Beach, Florida, USA – Surfing Spot Score 8.32: Located in the sunshine state of Florida, Cocoa Beach is a popular destination for surfers and sunbathers alike. The beach is an iconic and busy surfing hub with an extensive surfing history dating back to the 1950s. Cocoa Beach is particularly popular on social with over 3,000 surfing-related Instagram hashtags. The sea temperatures are also favorable, averaging 27°C, so whether you are looking to surf or to swim, it’s going to be a great place to take to the sea.
2. Waikiki, Oahu, USA – Surfing Spot Score 7.69: Hawaii is well-known for its gorgeous beaches and warm seas so it’s no surprise that Waikiki in Oahu ranks in second position. Oahu offers 122 surf breaks and a coastline of 3.8km to explore. Similarly to Cocoa Beach in Florida, surfers are in for a warm ride with average sea temperatures of 27°C.
3. Huntington Beach, Orange County, California, USA – Surfing Spot Score 6.67: Huntington Beach is located in the popular surfing area of Orange County, California. The surfing spot ranked well for the number of surfing breaks at 51, and on average the spot is searched 1,770 times per month across the globe. The seas appear to be slightly cooler here than in Florida and Oahu though, averaging at 21°C.
4. Montauk, Long Island, New York, USA – Surfing Spot Score 6.43: Located on the extreme eastern tip of the south fork of Long Island, New York and famous for its historic lighthouse, Montauk is well known to locals for its excellent surfing. Montauk did well offering 44 surf breaks, and, on average, is searched for 2,180 times a month globally. The water here warmer than in Huntington Beach, averaging at 22°C. Montauk was also selected The Best GLOBAL Surf Spot for the month of September! (Based upon information provided by www.surf-forecast.com)
