Surfing Florida is the Ultimate Ride Dude!!!

Surfing Florida or any other break has been a dream of mine. I have always wanted to learn this amazing sport and art form.

Watch this amazing video of Laird Hamilton - the best big wave surfer in the world...Don't worry - this isn't in Florida!

Although I dream of watching big wave surfers in Hawaii, California, and Australia in person, I have been lucky enough to witness storms big enough in the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic Ocean to send large swells towards the Florida beaches to surf on.

8-Foot waves have welcomed us on more than one occasion and watching these folks ride the breaks have been fun and awe-inspiring. So this entire section is set up to talk about surfing Florida as we thought it would be fun!!

Whether you are a beginner or a professional surfer, you will find the 1,350 miles of coastline through Florida is enough to meet your needs. About 40% of the east coast’s surfing population can be found in Florida and for many people this is a shock.

Florida is not often considered for surf trips and adventures, leaving a great deal of the coast undiscovered by most.

From May to September the optimal temperatures reach a peak of 78 degrees Fahrenheit which makes for perfect surfing Florida weather.

Let’s start looking towards the Florida vacation sites on the East Coast for optimal surfing locations and regions.

The northern side of this coast has been known as the “First Coast” of Florida for many years.

It offers fairly consistent surf and is known for its white sandy beaches that stretch for miles. If you are taking a surfing road trip, road A1A offers one surfing opportunity after another.

Jacksonville Florida is one of these opportunities as this is a tight knit surfing community. This area of Florida consistently offers surfing Florida contests and has dozens of small surf communities within the area for your disposal.

St Augustine Florida is another city in Northern Florida which offers great surfing conditions. Here you can be a beginner, taking lessons or spending the entire day in the surf testing your techniques and there is never a break in the surf!

Of course Daytona Beach is not far from these locations and this coastal city has been known for its surf haven for years. This area of Northern Florida is generally at its peak season during spring break when surfers come down for their vacation.

Daytona Beach Florida is a location which offers the high-ranking breaks at Ponce Inlet and a less crowded area for surfing of all types even surf fishing for those experienced surfers.

Within central Florida offers the most popular beach location, Cocoa Beach.

Here millions of surfers travel each year to experience not only the great surf but the clear views of the rockets from Cape Canaveral as well.

Within your Cocoa Beach Florida vacation you can visit the famous Ron Jon Surf Shop, take surf lessons and experience a different surfing experience with fewer crowds due to the many different street access points to the beach.

Check out this great Cocoa Beach surfing article!

There are a number of surf areas amidst the Patrick Air Force Base located in this central area of Florida, with some appropriately named break areas such as First and Second Light, Missiles, and Hangars.

The breaks at Satellite Beach slightly follow a business-naming scheme; Perkins is known for surf consistency, while swells flourish at R.C.’s in front of a Ramada Inn.

South Florida on the East coast is known as the Gold Coast. Here you can experience warm weather and water all year round for great surfing no matter when you choose to visit. Within the area of Jupiter, you can find a wide variety of surfing locations and opportunities.

Areas, including the rocky reef bottom of the Poles, to the best-at-low-tides Jupiter Inlet, to Corners with powerful breaks at mid-tide, to the small swells at Reef Club.

Not far from Jupiter you can experience the unique ratio of sand bars and reefs within Boca Raton Florida. An annual surfing contest sponsored by the Easter Surfing Association is located at Commercial Pier (also known as Anglin’s) in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.

The Florida Panhandle located on the West coast of Florida offers surfers of all levels the unique opportunity to surf without the ocean.

Panhandle surfers truly benefit from bad Florida weather; the cold fronts, tropical storms, and hurricanes produce the best waves. The Pensacola Beach is the beginning of the surf adventures within the Golf of Mexico once you have experienced the Panhandle for yourself.

There are many different surf areas near the Pensacola Beach including: The Bay with its unpredictable break history, the reasonable beach break of the Pensacola Pier Parking Lot, left after hurricane damage, and the seasonal beach breaks of 12th-17th Street.

On the gulfcoast Florida beachfront, the surfing population grew at a much slower rate than on the East coast due to the utilization of the Gulf of Mexico.

Today, however surfers vary from age and levels on this side of Florida and there are many locations within this area where lessons are held as well as contest and more advanced levels of surfing for those interested in water adventures.

You do not have to be an experienced surfer in order to surf on the West or East coast of Florida.

All you need is the ambition to begin surfing Florida! Take a tour of all these popular surf locations and spend your winter or summer vacation in the water 24/7!

Whether its boating, surfing, water skiing, snorkeling, or other we want to hear your favorite Florida water activities. Everyone does different things on vacation and may not know of certain activities - whether they should spend time doing them or not - tell them why you love a particular water activity below...

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Waves on the Gulf of Florida  Not rated yet
I was curious more about the waves - can you skim board or boogie board???? What about Marco Island???

Editor: John submitted this question to ...