The East Rockaway Inlet is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean which separates the Rockaway Peninsula from the barrier island which includes the Nassau County, New York communities of Atlantic Beach, Long Beach and Lido Beach.
According to a plaque in Long Beach, NY, the original inlet was through Long Beach directly opposite East Rockaway, NY, hence the name. A decision was made to create a new inlet between Far Rockaway and Atlantic Beach and the original was filled in with the fill from the newly created inlet.
The inlet is traversed by the Atlantic Beach Bridge. Its eastern extension is the Reynolds Channel.