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Daily Beach Report |
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Daily Beach Report |
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Florida Gulf Coast Surf Reports and Links |
| Gulfster daily surf report and more - Great site for current surf info. Based in St. Pete. Daily beach photo taken before 8am of Gulf water conditions in Pinellas County. Great photo archive of Gulf surfing as well as photos of the most recent swell. Site updated daily. I visit this site DAILY. |
| Surf spots on the Gulf coast - Good info on surf spot locations. |
| Gulf coast community surf forum - Gulf Coast community supported surf forum. There is some good info on here sometimes, but don't be discouraged by the childish personal criticisms and cynicism often expressed by some individuals on this and all public forums. |
| Anna Maria Surf Report - A most excellent daily surf check from the NXTCsurf.com website. If the link doesn't work, then go directly to http://nxtcsurf.com. |
| Florida Beach Web Cams - my collection of links to surf / beach web cams in Florida. |
Above: clean cold front surf with light offshore
winds. Pinellas County. Nov 2006
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SURFING! I started board surfing when I was 14. It was fun and very challenging and it was a great reason to beg a ride to the beach. My first board was a 6'1" "California Surfboards" pig. It was really hard to maneuver and the rails were so hard they were always catching. It sucked, but it only cost me $25. One day I was visiting the newly established Surfing World West (owned by Rocky and Jane Von Hammon) and I spotted a 6' 3" bright yellow and green "Sunshine" surfboard. I rented it and took it out for a test. Rocky said it was a great board but a "little squirrelly" in large surf. Well I had no guts to ride large surf anyway so it sounded like a winner, and the price was right. It worked out fine that day so I bought it. My surfing got much better on that board and I rode it for a few years until the twin fins came out in the late 70's. So in 1977 I bought a 5' 8" Gordon & Smith twin fin for $225. It was awesome. I kept it for 29 years and sold it in 2006 to a lucky guy for a nice price.
In fact, I'm looking to get my self a longboard now real soon to have a go at it again before I get too damn old... Anyway, how old is too old? I'm seeing guys in the lineup now that are old enough to be my dad! (below photo).
When you see an old timer in the water, don't laugh. Let's wait a few years and see if you are still surfing after raising kids, putting them through college, paying off a mortgage, going to work and breaking your ass everyday to pay the bills, etc, etc. Anybody that can still paddle out, stand up and hoot after all that gets my respect. Totally.
For Gulf coast surf info and some outstanding Gulf coast surfing photos and videos, check out http://www.gulfster.com . Looking for places to surf on the Gulf coast? Check out http://www.wannasurf.com/spot/North_America/USA_Gulf_Coast/Florida/index.html
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Best Time of Year for Surfing on the Florida Gulf CoastIf you are interested in surfing on the Gulf Coast, the best time to find waves would be January through March, since that is when the cold fronts sweep across the state. Generally the wind picks up from the southwest in advance of the front and kicks up a choppy 2-4 foot swell with cloudy skies, then as the front passes, the sky clears (usually) and the wind becomes westerly, then northwesterly. The best surf comes when the wind backs around to the northeast, usually the next day, and creates an offshore wind that creates cleaner, steeper-faced swells that are much more enjoyable than the blown-out chop from the day before. Sometimes though by the time the wind turns to the northeast, there is not enough swell left to ride. That's surfing on the Gulf coast.
July, August, and September is hurricane season. When there is a hurricane, a tropical storm or a strong low-pressure trough in the Gulf, excellent swells may suddenly make an appearance. Sometimes for a few hours, sometimes for a few days. These are usually strong high-energy (for the Gulf) waves that are fun to ride. But they are very difficult to predict. So you almost have to keep your surfboard in your car and keep checking the surf several times a day to find the waves. Jobs and school can severely interfere with this approach to wave hunting. Now of course, there is Gulfster and nxtcsurf.com to help you know when the waves are up.
Finding Good Florida Surf SpotsIf you are serious about finding surf in Florida I would highly recommend a book by Amy Vansant called The Surfer's Guide To Florida. It was published in 1995 by the Pineapple Press. The ISBN number is 1-56164-073-5. I'm not sure the book is still available, but if you search around for it on the internet you can probably pick up a used copy if you can't find a new one. If you really want it badly, I'll sell you my copy for $5,000.00. Some of the info on parking and such is out-of-date, but the general info on surf spots is accurate and the descriptions of the breaks are outstanding. Amy did a great job doing the research and the footwork for this book. It covers the entire state. Here's a good link to help you find the waves: http://www.wannasurf.com/spot/North_America/USA_Gulf_Coast/Florida/index.html
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Words of Surfing WisdomIf you're just getting started with surfing, or you've just moved here from somewhere else, you are probably looking for the best places to surf. Well I'll tell you, don't get hung up looking for the hottest breaks. What is the point of surfing Venice jetty for instance (everybody knows about that one) with 50 people out when you can find something else much less crowded nearby and catch a lot more waves? Maybe they'll only be 75% as good, but they'll be 99% less crowded, so you end up with more waves in the end. Check out the links above for the best Gulf coast surfing info the web has to offer. My advice to beginning surfers: Try to avoid the crowds. Learn with a friend or group of friends. Relax. Enjoy nature. There is nothing like being out there in the sea, right in the middle of the most powerful forces on earth, moving with the wind and the waves. The beauty is indescribable. You learn to depend on yourself. You see life from a different perspective. Don't measure yourself against what someone else can do on their surfboard. There will always be more waves, don't freak out if you miss a good swell. Learn everything you can about weather and water. Keep your eyes and ears open. Don't think you have to have a brand new $700 surfboard to be good. As long as you have a properly made board for the types of waves you are surfing, it's the surfer, not the board. Start out with a cheap used board. Your friends will still like you. Who cares what anyone else thinks? Don't get caught up with the cynical and critical masses. Go easy. Have fun.
When I was surfing in my teens, I can only think of one or two times that I saw a girl on a surfboard and we rarely encountered anyone older than 20 in the water. Now I see lots of very good girl surfers and lots of old geezers in their 40's like me. Lots of them are in great shape too. If you want to make surfing a regular part of your life, get a job with flexibility--consider being self-employed. You can make surfing a lifetime pursuit if you make good choices. Getting married early, having kids and a mortgage and a 9 to 5 job is not conducive to frequent surfing.
My message to experienced surfers: So many think they are trying to win a contest or something, or that they are going to miss the wave of a lifetime if someone gets in their way. RELAX. For every surfer that is less skilled than you there is another that is better than you. Take beginners under your wing. Help them out. Give them some guidance in a helpful way. Remember that you were once a beginner. Most surfers do those things and have a great attitude. It is a pleasure to surf with them.
ABOUT CROWDS: I hear a lot about crowds. Guess what? It's been crowded at all the major breaks here on the Gulf coast since the mid 70's at least. The crowds aren't any worse today on average. Surfing in a crowd can be frustrating and intimidating unless you know everyone. But crowds are something we have to deal with, on the road, in the grocery store, and in the lineup. The weekend crowds are NOT going away. Everyone has a right to be where they are. If you want to surf without crowds, go surfing on a Tuesday morning at 7am. You'll have the place all to yourself. Say a kind word to a stranger in the lineup. You may just make a new friend.
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Whenever I mention Gulf surfing to people they
always say "there's no surf in the Gulf!" Not true. You just have to pay
attention to the weather and have a flexible schedule so you can be there
when its up. Some of the best times of my life were spent in the surf.
Sure the sun is hell on skin, and there may be a few sharks and jellyfish
and stingrays, and you have to put up with red tide sometimes and cold
water and wind, and cops that don't like surfers parking where they aren't
supposed to and sneaking across private property to get the waves, but I
wouldn't trade my surfing days for anything. Not for anything. No regrets,
even after having five skin cancers removed. Ouch!
