Cold-water Surf Guide
Higgins Beach, Maine. 🗺
At Higgins, surfing is a year round occasion with some of the best swells typically breaking in the colder months. Perfect conditions mean double overhead barrels of ice cold goodness. In fact, it isn’t uncommon to see a crowded line-up amidst the thralls of a frigid Nor’easter’.
The local surf scene is pretty friendly to outsiders; just be respectful, as these are some of the heartiest surfers in New England.
Here’s everything you need for your cold-water surf session
Best Time to Visit: 🍂
November is the best time of year for surfing Higgins Beach if you want clean, consistent waves.
Late Autumn to early Spring is when you’ll find the biggest surf. In the winter months, sea temperatures sit in the mid to upper 30s. Average temperatures
Ideal Conditions: (Southeast swell and Northwest offshore wind combo)
🌊 The Wave:
“The Perfect Wave, for this southeast-facing beach, is a swell made in the Caribbean that works its way slowly up the slot midway between the Outer Banks and Bermuda, and doesn't turn until it's just south of Cape Cod. “ - SL
Higgins' claim to fame is its uncanny ability to hold picturesque, overhead-plus swells. It handles 17-second-period, double-overhead groundswells as well as many other, more popular points around the world -- but without a channel for safe passage.
With a shifty, gradually sloping, but uneven sandy bottom you can be sure that every session will a challenge - albeit well worth it.
Tide and Temp: 🥶 🌨️
Higgins has major tide fluctuations with an average of more than 10 feet each day. Extremely low water temperatures (4.9 C / 40.8 F) at Higgins come close to freezing.
Even with a thick quality wetsuit, neoprene hood, gloves and boots it will be difficult for surfers to stay in the sea for very long. Water temperatures in the late fall and winter range between the upper 30s, to low 40s.
Could Be Useful: 📍
Higgins has a shifty, gradually sloping, but uneven sandy bottom ensure that every session is a challenge.
Caution ia necessary in the middle of the beach where there is a large rocky outcropping that is submerged at high tide.
Overall, Higgins Beach is a great beach for all skill levels.
The Crew: 📹
