Surfers ignore nor’easter warnings and dangers, catch high waves off Rockaway Beach during wild storms

The nor’easter didn’t stopping several foolhardy surfers from catching some swells.

As high winds and flooding ravage New York City, roughly 20 surfers were seen braving the storms off the coast of Beach 91st Street in the Rockaways.


Follow live updates on the powerful nor’easter set to bring dangerous winds, flooding to the East Coast


Despite warnings to stay away from the beaches, wave riders took to the water specifically because of the storms.

Preston Head, 35, traveled from Laguna Beach, Cali., to ride the waves, but the extreme surf snapped his board in two.

The waves broke Head’s board in two. Brigitte Stelzer
Surfers in the Ocean at Shore Front Parkway and Beach 91st Street at Rockaway Beach, Queens, NY. Brigitte Stelzer

“The wave broke my surf board,” he said with a laugh. “It was probably a 8-foot wave.”

The traveling surfer told The Post that he ventured across the country for the extreme waves, boasting that he “had some of the best barrels that I’ve ever experienced in my life.”

Locals, including 29-year-old Ron McMaster, of Queens, and 30-year-old Ryo Kuroki, of Manhattan, also came out for the roughly 12-foot waves.

“Today is for the experts. Today is a great day to go surfing if you know what you are doing,” said McMaster, who daylights as a software engineer. “It’s dangerous. People die from surfing on days like this when the waves drift them into the rocks.”

Surfer Ryo Kuroki from NYC with his friend Travel Surfer Preston Head. Brigitte Stelzer

Kuroki added that the waves were “twice as tall” as him, and that he and McMaster “know what we are doing.”

When asked about the warnings to avoid the beaches due to the nor’easter, Kuroki laughed it off, saying that “surfing is a sport about rebelling.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul has issued multiple warnings to stay away from the water due to “rip currents and high surf, making entering the ocean life-threatening.”

Surfers in the Ocean at Shore Front Parkway and Beach 91st Street at Rockaway Beach, Queens, NY. Brigitte Stelzer

“A dangerous nor’easter is already bearing down on the coastal areas of Long Island, New York City and Westchester County,” Hochul said in a statement Saturday. “This storm poses a significant risk, and I urge New Yorkers to stay informed, stay prepared and stay safe this weekend.”

Surfer Bobby Gonzalez was among those forced to abort his plans at the beach because of the towering waves.

“The waves are enormous,” he said. “They are very difficult to even ride. You can use rip currents that pulls you out, but the waves just smash you back on the beach.”

“It was exhausting just trying to get out there. I just gave up,” he added.

But Gonzalez, a part-time school aide who lives in the area, vowed to try again this weekend.

“If not later today, probably tomorrow when it dies down a bit,” he said.

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