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Gilgo Beach on Long Island's South Shore on a clear March dayThe Great South Bay seen from Gilgo BeachCaptree Beach looking across Fire Island Inlet to Robert Moses State ParkCaptree Island and the Robert Moses Causeway over the Great South Bay

Chapters / US East Coast Open, 1 of 1 remaining

Ride Long Island, keep it open

Long Island has miles of ocean beach, a long shallow bay and summer sea breezes, and almost nowhere that clearly says kiting is welcome. Riders here have been looking for a place to ride legally for more than a decade.

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7 riders call this homeKite, WingRobert Moses State Park

Everything you need to know about Long Island

Live conditions

Why riders love it

What brings people here, from the people who manage it and the people who ride it.

  • Summer sea breezes are the most reliable wind on Long Island. Outside summer, wind depends on passing storm systems.
  • Local riders describe Gilgo as a spot where the wind is often light, and Napeague Harbor as good flat water for learning, with sea breezes usually filling in from about 2:30 p.m.

Sources: Seabreeze.com.au forum

See the wind right now
The Great South Bay seen from Gilgo Beach

Access and rules

Each site sets its own rules. The chapter publishes confirmed rules as each site answers in writing, and points riders to the official page before they go.

  • In 2012 New York State Parks was reported to have banned kiteboarding across its parks and beaches, while surfing stayed allowed. Riders petitioned for a designated area.
  • State Parks publishes no current kiteboarding policy. Its beach permit guide covers only surfing and windsurfing, at Gilgo, Robert Moses, Napeague, Hither Hills and Montauk Point.
  • Kite flying is allowed at several parks, including Captree, Jones Beach and Robert Moses, but kites must stay out of marked piping plover areas from April through August.

Sources: Surfertoday (2012); New York State Parks; no kiteboarding policy found as of 2026

Help hold the launch
Captree Beach looking across Fire Island Inlet to Robert Moses State Park

Ecology and habitat

Stewardship rotates across the city's spots, so riders are known as the people who look after them.

  • Piping plovers nest on these beaches, and State Parks closes nesting areas with symbolic fencing from April 1 to August 30.
  • Permit holders may not drive on dunes, wetlands, beach grass, bird nesting areas or seal haul-out areas.

Sources: New York State Parks

Fund stewardship here
Captree Island and the Robert Moses Causeway over the Great South Bay

Good to know

Location, facilities and history.

  • The chapter covers Long Island's South Shore barrier beaches between Gilgo Beach and Robert Moses State Park, reached by Ocean Parkway and the Robert Moses Causeway, along with the Great South Bay behind them.
  • Riders also mention Napeague Harbor, between Amagansett and Montauk, as a flatwater spot at the east end of the island.
  • State Parks 4WD beach permits are for daylight surfing and windsurfing only. No permits are issued from April 1 through Labor Day.
  • At Robert Moses, vehicles may only go onto the beach before 7 a.m. and after 5 p.m. in summer.

Sources: New York State Parks; New York State Parks; Seabreeze.com.au forum

Meet the riders
Gilgo Beach on Long Island's South Shore on a clear March day

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Long Island

The most reliable wind is the summer sea breeze ; the rest of the year depends on passing storms.

Source: Seabreeze.com.au forum

Know the spot

Long Island

Plover nesting areas close to kites from April 1–August 30 on the state park beaches.

Source: New York State Parks

Know the spot

Long Island

No published kiteboarding policy: access unresolved since a reported State Parks ban in 2012.

Source: Surfertoday; New York State Parks

Know the spot

Why Long Island needs a chapter

Gilgo Beach on Long Island's South Shore on a clear March day
US East Coast

The South Shore of Long Island has everything a rider looks for on a map: open ocean beaches, the shallow Great South Bay behind them, and sea breezes that fill in on summer afternoons.

7riders call this home
Kite, Wingdisciplines riding here

Long Island chapter, World Wind Sports

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The Great South Bay seen from Gilgo Beach
US East Coast

Access is the problem. Most of the barrier beaches are state parks, and in 2012 New York State Parks was reported to have banned kiteboarding across the system. Riders petitioned for a designated area. No current kiteboarding policy has been published since, so riders are left guessing.

7riders call this home
Kite, Wingdisciplines riding here

Long Island chapter, World Wind Sports

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Captree Beach looking across Fire Island Inlet to Robert Moses State Park
US East Coast

A chapter's first job here is to get a straight answer: one group that State Parks and the towns can talk to, a proposal for where kiting could work, and riders trained and insured so that the answer can be yes.

7riders call this home
Kite, Wingdisciplines riding here

Long Island chapter, World Wind Sports

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Photographer credits Back this chapter

The riders, schools and crew of Long Island

Riders from Babylon, West Babylon, Lindenhurst, Copiague, Amityville, Massapequa, Massapequa Park, Wantagh, Bay Shore, Brightwaters, Islip, West Islip, East Islip, Sayville, Patchogue, Hicksville and the schools that teach them.

See the rider directory Talk on the board
WWSThe chapterHolds the line on access: one standing voice with whoever manages the launch.WWSThe chapterRuns stewardship days, so the people who manage the beach see riders as an asset.WWSThe chapterRuns sponsored certification weekends, so riders are trained and self-policing.WWSThe chapterHolds the line on access: one standing voice with whoever manages the launch.WWSThe chapterRuns stewardship days, so the people who manage the beach see riders as an asset.WWSThe chapterRuns sponsored certification weekends, so riders are trained and self-policing.
Brian FlynnLevel 4Y, CopiagueDevin PardiasLevel 2I, AmityvilleMeijing MaoLevel 3J, HicksvilleAdam DekelLevel 4V, East IslipSSamantha LeeLevel 3L, IslipVVictor SchiavoneLevel 3N, West BabylonMMarietta RussoCertified rider, AmityvilleBrian FlynnLevel 4Y, CopiagueDevin PardiasLevel 2I, AmityvilleMeijing MaoLevel 3J, HicksvilleAdam DekelLevel 4V, East IslipSSamantha LeeLevel 3L, IslipVVictor SchiavoneLevel 3N, West BabylonMMarietta RussoCertified rider, Amityville
iSportsKite, WingiWind spotRobert Moses State ParkiKnow thisThe South Shore barrier beaches of Long Island, New York, from Gilgo to Robert Moses and the Great South Bay.iKnow thisSummer sea breezes are the most reliable wind; the rest of the year depends on passing storms.iKnow thisNew York State Parks was reported to ban kiteboarding in 2012, and no current kite policy is published.iSportsKite, WingiWind spotRobert Moses State ParkiKnow thisThe South Shore barrier beaches of Long Island, New York, from Gilgo to Robert Moses and the Great South Bay.iKnow thisSummer sea breezes are the most reliable wind; the rest of the year depends on passing storms.iKnow thisNew York State Parks was reported to ban kiteboarding in 2012, and no current kite policy is published.

Live conditions

Wind right now at Long Island

Full forecast

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Your gift keeps the chapter running and the beach cared for: cleanup supplies, signage, certification weekends and the costs of being the group the park can call.

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