Fire Island Inlet is an inlet on the south shore of Long Island, New York, USA.
It connects the Great South Bay with the Atlantic Ocean, passing between Robert Moses State Park (the western end of Fire Island) on the south and Oak Beach and Captree State Park (the eastern end of Jones Beach Island) on the north.
The inlet is directly south of West Islip, the nearest town on the main part of Long Island.
The inlet has evolved over the years due to natural processes, especially longshore drift. Jones Island and Fire Island at one time were connected.
The Fire Island Light was at the mouth of the inlet when built in 1858, but is now 6 miles (9.7 km) east of the inlet.
The northwest side of the mouth of the inlet is known as the Sore Thumb, it is a manmade barrier that was created to try to combat the extensive erosion of the beaches inside the inlet. The southeast side of the mouth of the inlet is known as Point Democrat and is known as a popular surfing spot for beach goers, it is also the site of extensive preserves for the areas birds.
Famous quotes containing the words fire, island and/or inlet:
“Our hearts you see not; they are pitiful;
And pity to the general wrong of Rome—
As fire drives out fire, so pity pity—
Hath done this deed on Caesar.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world, and that his heart is no island cut off from others lands, but a continent that joins to them.”
—Francis Bacon (1561–1626)
“As for the inlet or outlet of Walden, I have not yet discovered any but rain and snow and evaporation, though perhaps, with a thermometer and a line, such places may be found.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)