FLORIDA BEACH SPOTS LIST

The Clearwater Beach area is the furthest north on Florida's West Coast that you'll find sandy beaches with waves. The main spots are Honeymoon Island, Pier 60, South Jetty, The Pass, and Sand Key. Most days are flat but if there is some energy in the water, at least one of these spots should be rideable. Honeymoon Island is best for a west swell with north wind, which often happens after cold fronts. Pier 60 is more exposed and best when the wind is offshore, which is rare. The South Jetty turns on with a south or southwest swell and can handle south wind OK. The Pass only breaks during higher tides when it's big out of the northwest, and it can get good. Sand Key is popular for cold front swells when it's blown out everywhere else.

The Central Pinellas area has a break for any swell direction. Bellair Beach holds barreling lefts during large south swells and can be clean with south wind. Indian Rocks is more consistent and picks up west and northwest swells too. From Indian Shores down to Redington and Madeira Beach the waves break further out and you'll find cleaner conditions with north wind. If you find Bellair Beach firing on a hurricane day go get barreled. The drift will be strong so walk south until you have your own space to paddle out. As for Indian Rocks, Indian Shores, Redington and Madeira Beach, there are dozens of sandbars and the waves are all spread out, you'll have no problem findinf your own peak.

Treasure Island is the gem of Pinellas County and the most popular spot by far is Sunset Beach. It holds almost any swell direction and is fairly clean with a north wind. If Sunset is blown out by the north wind, it's often a bit cleaner down at Upham. During long-period south swells, the pass inbetween these two breaks can turn on with a very long rippable wave. The crowd at Sunset is welcoming and most of the time it's a longboard wave. On good days, the local rippers will be on the peaks on the north side of the jetty. Don't get in their way. The south side of the jetty has long rights with some current, it works like any lineup. If you find the pass working, watch it for a minute before paddling out. Upham can get good and crowded, if it's looking busy, paddle out on the left side of the jetty and get some sets over there to yourself.

All of the spots south of Tampa Bay have deeper water and hold bigger waves than the spots to the north. Anna Maria is a heavy beachbreak unlike anything you'll find in Pinellas. It works with all kinds of swells and is clean with north wind. Anywhere from 52nd street all the way up to Spring Lane will serve up barrels when there's swell, but south wind ruins it. There's some localized peaks in this range but all the breaks are good. If the swell is over three feet you'll need a shortboard because of how steep the waves are. Bigger swells with lower tides break boards here. Local rippers dominate some peaks, don't hop in with them unless you know them. Find your own peak and get pitted!

Holmes Beach is also known as Bradenton Beach and is home to the most consistent spot in all of Florida's West Coast. Commonly called Twin Piers, the spot actually has three piers. It picks up swell from any direction and can have a small wave when other places are flat. There's several breaks to spread out the crowd and on smaller days it's great for beginners.

Longboat Key is usuallly a bit smaller than Bradenton Beach but the quality of the waves can be impeccable. During larger cold front swells, right-handers peel down the shore along the entire key. During south wind it will be messy and you're better off at Twin Piers. If it's clean, find a spot that looks good from the road and have fun!

Siesta Key is a popular island for tourists that has relatively consistent waves, especially for longboarding. The key has a curved shape and the north end picks up small south swells and the south end picks up small north swells. When it's bigger, the curved shoreline gives you some options to get out of the wind.

Venice is the most crowded spot in Florida's west coast and is capable of holding size like Twin Piers or better. The bars are deep around here so small days are often flat, but when it's bigger it turns on. The north side of the jetty can hold overhead faces on larger southwest swells. The south side of the jetty is the most wind-protected spot in the entire region for cold-front swells, but it's never very big and always crowded.

Jacksonville is on the national scene for being a consistent region for longboarding. The breaks are very tide-dependent and shortboard opportunities pop up surprisingly often. Mayport poles serves up A-frames in many conditions, and the pier makes some steep rippable waves when it's small and clean. All spots get blown out when winds are onshore, but most days there's something to ride in the morning and there are many sandbars with good shape. Go to the poles if you're trying to socialize or the pier if you're trying to get noticed, but if you're just trying to surf you can do well at just about any sandbar.

The St. Augustine area has a great range of breaks. On the north side of the inlet there is a shorebreak in Vilano that is popular for shortboarders to practice barrels and airs. Around the pier there's a range of setups and often fast peeling waves. From the pier down into Crescent Beach there are many good sandbars that shift around over time. Down at Matanzas Inlet there can be great waves but it is a tempermental break that is difficult to score. The currents are strong and the break shifts around constantly as the tide changes. It's a gamble to go out there unless you live close and have it dialed in.

Flagler Beach is a home to a core surfing community and a very consistent beach break that is often fun but rarely great. The best sandbar near the pier shifts with the seasons, and when it's rippable the locals are always on it. If you're visiting, do not compete with them for waves. Explore down towards Gamble Rodgers and you will find a bar just as good for you to enjoy.

Ormond Beach lies between Flagler and Daytona and has numerous beach accesses that almost all have inside-outside setups. At low tide there's an outside wave and at high tide there's a fast shore-break type wave. Scoring here requires a good understanding of tide and swell conditions, and angled-swells usually work better than a straight E or ENE.

Daytona may have been "The worlds most famous beach," but now it has a bit of a dilapidated ghost-town vibe. That said, its breaks are more tapered than Ormond and can serve up some great waves. Long peelers can be found on small days and you can fire up the shortboards on higher tides when it's over three feet. The Main Street Pier holds a sandbar that can make a spectacular right during incoming tides on gentle ESE summertime trade-swells.

Ponce Inlet is the go-to spot for weekend-warriors hailing from all over Central Florida. It can get very crowded on the weekends. One might encounter anything from aggressive middle-aged men on shortboards too small to the grace and masterful surfing of the Lopez brothers. It's a great wave and the best place around to get shelter from south wind. There are four or five peaks spanning a half-mile north of the jetty, and you can drive on the beach, so there's plenty of space to spread out and plenty of waves to go around.

New Smyrna Inlet is the high-performance shortboarding epicenter of Florida. It's also the shark bite capital of the world. If you surf here on a day with clear water you will be able to spot sharks in the waves as you're riding them. They hang out in the troughs between the sandbars and will be in knee-deep water. Most bites occur because surfers kick or step on them. On small to mid-size days, the running A-frames at NSB are the best waves in the region. South wind ruins it and sends everyone to Ponce Inlet.

Cocoa Beach has a rich surfing history and when it's blown out with north winds in NE Florida, Cocoa Beach is often cleaner and more managable. The smallest cleanest waves are up at Jetty Park and the Canaveral area. The Pier has some shape and can hold size to about head high, and then as you travel south towards Patrick Air Force Base it gets bigger. During southerly swells the Canaveral area can get really good if the winds behave.

Satellite Beach has some hard bottom that pulls in more energy than Cocoa Beach and forms some reef-break style waves. During northeast swells this area can hold waves as big as double-overhead and with good form. The breaks are deeper and when it's small you have to surf during low tide. The north side of the region has more running waves while the south side has more barreling waves. Sometimes it's worth checking a couple spots.

Indialantic Beach is usually pretty heavy but on lower tides with mid-size swells it can make long rippable runners. There's a mix of hard bottom and sandy breaks and spots here and there with good shape. Down in Melbourne it's all sand and it can get big and heavy with a solid swell. You need low tide to break the small swells and the shore-trough is usually deep.

Sebastian Inlet used to be the best wave in the state but beach renourishments upcoast have deposited sand on the jetty over the years ruining it's legendary bowl. That said, it's still an awesome spot that serves barreling wedges. In long period swells it closes out and breaks boards but it can be really fun in mid-period wind swells. The sandbars a mile or two north can be better and are worth a check too.

Ft. Pierce Inlet is where all the south Florida surfers flock to on their day off to find a break. It can get super crowded and it's a good wave with rippable A-frames right by the jetty. As you go north of the jetty there are only a couple more peaks before the bars disappear. If the waves are good and you don't want to deal with the crowds, try venturing down Hutchinson Island. There's a number of secluded beaches there with good sandbars.

Jensen Beach is awesome on clean cold front and hurricane swells and for the most part it's a sandy and user friendly spot. There's plenty of peaks to spread out the crowd and it can hold overhead swells. If it's too big here, drive north and try one of the accesses around the powerplant. If it's too small, drive south and try a reef break around Stuart.

Stuart Beach holds the best reef breaks in Florida. These spots can be dangerous at high tide and best surfed during middle to lower tides. They can hold double overhead barrels and on big days it's for experts only. If you find the main peak, do not paddle out unless you see plenty of unridden waves, and be sure to eave your ego on the shore. Unless you grew up surfing here, you're better off paddling out at one of the less crowded reef peaks nearby.