South Beach, Staten Island

South Beach is undeniably the island’s most-frequented beach, situated on the island’s East Shore  in a town with the same name, a beach with a looming view of the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge, and Coney Island across the water as the backdrop.

Here you’ll find clusters of beach umbrellas densely dotting the sands on a hot day. (Though nothing compared with BK beaches , or NJ and LI for that matter!) It’s not a quiet beach, and you’ll often hear beats being mixed by the randomness of time as various songs blend together in the air. This is not a quiet beach, so if that’s what you’re seeking, go elsewhere, unless it’s not peak hours during Summer Season.

South Beach  is located on the Lower New York Bay, and so the waves aren’t incredibly high on most days, as it’s shielded from the ocean waves by the land. It’s a rather tame surf.  On some days there are smallish waves, tops three feet.

The water can be extremely clear, and the sand ranges from powdery to more coarse depending on how far you are from the shoreline. There are small pebbles in some areas. The sand is cleaned daily with machines, so there is no waste, anywhere. Believe it or not, a series of small artificial islands help to block the waves, so it’s usually not much of anything wading in the water.

Staten Island’s Top Beach

This is the beach that really attracts the crowds in the hot 90-degree-plus days of summer. As you drive along Father Cappodano Boulevard, you can’t miss the massive concrete overhang sheltering the people at the bus stop st Sand Lane.  There was  once even a train line and a South Beach stop that was only a few hundred feet from the massive concrete bus shelter, but over time the train line fell into disuse and the land was sold.

South Beach in Staten Island’s History

While the mid-1880s was the heyday for the South Beach amusement area, Sand Lane continued to have an arcade and kid’s rides until the 1980s.

South Beach, Staten Island. August 6, 2023. Close-up of the surf during high tide. The water was exceptionally clear today.

South Beach: Family-Friendly Inclusive Space

South beach in Staten Island is family-friendly, and all people are welcome. Commonly, you’ll find people of Russian, Jewish, Muslim, Italian, Irish, Latino, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Black, Mexican ancestry speaking a range of tongues on the sand. It’s a multicultural paradise where people of all stripes get along, and their kids can play together in the surf. In other words, if you aint’ down with treating others as you wish to be treated, beat it!

For more information on Boardwalk Concession Stands and Restaurants on the South Beach/F.D.R. Boardwalk, please click on the image below.