Beaches Will Close, Road Crews Prepare To Hold Back Ocean as Hurricane Erin Sends Giant Swell Toward South Fork

Surfers flocked to the South Fork this week and emergency managers closed local beaches to swimming as giant waves from Hurricane Erin crashed ashore.

All local beaches were closed to swimming as of Wednesday morning, August 20, and were expected to remain closed until at least Friday afternoon, as waves as high as 16 feet were expected to create extremely hazardous conditions.

Southampton Town Emergency Management Coordinator Ryan Murphy said the town’s lifeguards put up the double red flags of hurricane conditions on Wednesday morning and the fear of dangerous rip currents.

“Our primary concern is, of course, the safety of our residents and visitors and making sure they do not put themselves in harm’s way,” Murphy said on Tuesday. “The biggest concern right now are the life-threatening rip currents and the expectation of 10-to-15-foot crashing surf predicted for the ocean beaches … We do not want people to put themselves in the water in dangerous conditions where they may find themselves in a situation in which rescue may be challenging or not immediately possible.”

The Suffolk County Department of Parks closed its outer beach campgrounds at Shinnecock East County Park, Cupsogue Beach and Montauk County Park on Wednesday at 5 p.m., and the campgrounds will remain closed on Thursday and Friday. Campers with reservations will be notified individually when it is safe for them to return to the beaches.

Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday evening ordered swimming to be prohibited at all Long Island state parks through at least the end of the day Thursday.

“With Hurricane Erin causing dangerous surf conditions along our beaches on Long Island, we are taking proactive steps to protect New Yorkers by restricting swimming at state beaches,” she said in a statement. “I urge everyone to remain vigilant as the storm approaches.”

East Hampton Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez implored beachgoers to be vigilant about surf conditions.

“To our residents and visitors: I want to stress how important it is to swim at lifeguarded beaches and take direction from our lifeguards,” she said in a statement at the start of Tuesday’s work session. “If you see a red flag — only experienced swimmers are allowed in, and fins are required. If you see a red flag with a swimmer crossed out this is a No Swimming flag, and you should not go in the water. These warnings are not there to keep you from enjoying the ocean. They are here to keep you safe.”

Surfers meanwhile are flooding into the area in anticipation of the big waves arriving on local beaches. The first hurricane swell of the season had many taking vacation days, ditching family and planning to sleep in their cars if they have to, until the swell subsides. They are also keeping worried eyes on the wind forecast, which calls for stiff easterly breezes from Wednesday afternoon through Friday that could make the giant waves less than ideal for riding on surfboards, surfers said on Tuesday.

“It’s great right now,” said Cooper Donohue, who drove out to Montauk from Bayport on Tuesday morning for the onset of the swell, which was building to nearly “head high” already, and planned to stay, sleeping on a friend’s floor with three other transient wave seekers, through the weekend. “Hopefully, it doesn’t get blown out. There will be spots it will be clean. You just have to get out there and find your waves.”