Florida’s northern coast from Daytona to Jacksonville features a stretch of flat beaches with endless peaks between the occasional jetties and inlets. However, it is the centrally located ‘Space Coast’ that is the surf industry cradle and home to such famous locations as New Smyrna Beach, Cocoa Beach and Sebastian Inlet. Despite the generally poor sandbanks and small mushy conditions that occur most of the time, when a hurricane delivers powerful lines of swell, a few spots will turn on, with classic waves for the large local population, but the wait can be misery.
When to Go
Winter North Atlantic lows send NE swells, varying from 3-10ft, from October to March. Summer can see waves generated by the sea breeze, resulting in sloppy NE or SE wind chop. From August to October, an average of 10 hurricanes tracking from West Africa to the Caribbean may produce quality waves rarely exceeding 8ft. Winds are predominantly onshore with NE-E winds in winter and NW-SE in summer, but the offshores rarely coincide with decent swells. Expect of lot of 2-3ft wind chop conditions. Tidal range affect most spots at 9ft (3m).
Surf Spots
Statistics |
J
|
F
|
M
|
A
|
M
|
J
|
J
|
A
|
S
|
O
|
N
|
D
|
dominant swell |
NE -E |
NE -E |
NE -E |
NE -SE |
NE -E |
NE -E |
swell size (ft) |
3-4 |
3 |
1-2 |
1-2 |
3 |
3-4 |
consistency (%) |
70 |
50 |
40 |
20 |
40 |
70 |
dominant wind |
NW -N |
E -S |
E -S |
SE -SW |
NE -SE |
NW -SE |
average force |
F4 |
F4 |
F3 |
F3 |
F4 |
F4 |
consistency (%) |
67 |
64 |
63 |
64 |
77 |
74 |
water temp (C) |
16 |
20 |
24 |
26 |
24 |
21 |
wetsuit |
3/2 |
springsuit |
boardshorts |
boardshorts |
boardshorts |
springsuit |
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Travel Information
Weather
Ideal climate for surfing apart from summers heavy rains, intense heat and lack of swells. September-October, the best surf months, are still rainy with short, pouring showers and thunderstorms which force surfers out of the water to avoid the constant lightning! Springsuit or a 2mm fullsuit from December to March whenever the water gets around 60°-64°F (16°-18°C).
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Lodging and Food
Choose from ocean front hotels, spacious condos, beachside cottages, multi-bedroom bungalows to campground and RV sites. Heaps of raw bars, eclectic eateries and gourmet restaurants.
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Nature and Culture
Orlando’s Disneyland is notable for Typhoon Lagoon wavepool. The Orange Avenue nightclubs are lively. Check the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral.
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