Nobadeer Beach

Next to the airport, so you get the surreal experience of planes coming in low overhead while you surf. Big waves and a college-age crowd. Unofficial party beach of Nantucket.

Nobadeer is Nantucket's unofficial party beach — south-facing surf, a young crowd, and the surreal added bonus of jets landing at Nantucket Memorial Airport directly over the waves. Locals call it 'NOBA' and it has its own subculture: 4th of July tailgates that have become legendary (and now require ID and ordinance enforcement), surfboards lined up in pickup beds, and a free dirt lot that fills by mid-morning on summer weekends. There are no lifeguards, no restrooms, no shade. The surf is consistent and the rip-current risk is real. Sharks have been seen here in recent summers; the town's shark-patrol drone is active in season. Bring everything.