About Old Orchard Beach Surf Travel
Southeast-facing Old Orchard Beach, or OOB, is not as punched up as nearby Scarboro or as big as Higgins Beach, and thus can be pretty bland when comparison. However the OOB pier makes this otherwise-nondescript beachbreak a worthy New England haunt, with its good lefts on the south side and a decent right on the north side (especially during Fall hurricanes). Pine Point to the north – which is technically in the Town of Scarborough — doesn’t go off unless there’s a wind or groundswell over 6-feet. It’s the best place to check on a northeast wind, when Higgins and Scarboro Park are huge and out of control.
On the lifestyle side of things, Old Orchard is a nice place to escape from the Portland surf squadron. In fact, the only crowds to be concerned about are the French Canadian tourists who flock to OOB like a mega-gaggle of Coppertone-greased geese. The French women are in thongs that offer about as much coverage as dental floss, and the men sport grape-smugglers, causing flashbacks in the odd surfer who has perused the sands of Hossegor, Biarritz, etc. If you can paddle out through this throng, so to speak, you’ll find mostly empty lineups from Pine Point south to the OOB Pier… and the occasional fun peak.