Continent
North America
Country
Florida (USA)
Next Big City
Tampa, St. Petersburg
Next Town
St. Petersburg
 
Type:
Ocean
Rider Ability:
Beginner, Intermediate, Expert
Features:
Parking

Water

Type:
Shallow, Flat, Chop
Hazards:
Ships
Quality:
Clean
Best Tide:
High tide, Coming tide, Falling tide

Shallow water for a couple hundred yards out so it is very flat. Best at mid to high tide. At low tide you'll be riding in 3` of water or a dry bed of grass and muck. Beginner to advanced area. Make sure to check the tides if you are going to be riding at East Beach here as the water level goes down too low at East Beach during low tide. Wearing shoes is helpful.

Beach

Type:
Grass, Sand
Size:
Medium
Hazards:
Road, Cars
Beach Users:
None

Grassy launch area and slightly muddy beach. Glistening 7 mile stretch of beach, spacious launch areas. Cars park next to the beach along the road.

Weather

Spring:
Shorts, Shorty
Summer:
Shorts
Fall:
Shorts, Shorty
Winter:
Normal

Usually just shorts. A couple of cold weeks in the winter, but very warm compared to anywhere not tropical. Then a shorty should be fine.

Wind

Best Months:
January, February, March, April, November, December
Wind Type:
Thermal, Frontal
Best Direction:
NE, E, SE, S
Main Direction:
NE, E, SE

The strong winds come in the winter and are frontal, so not really predictable. A nice sea breeze comes in during the spring and fall, but summer has very light winds. This is one of the most popular riding spots in the area for NE, E, SE and S winds.



How to get there

Transport
Car
Access
No walk

Take I-4 west to 275 south, to exit # 4 (Pinellas Bayway) go west, pass the toll booth (.50 cents), turn left at the second light onto "679" heading south toward fort Desoto. You will have another toll (.35 cents) at the entrance to the Park. Once in the park, take a left at the "T" junction and go all the way to the end of road. Find the launch at the East tip of East Beach. Park next to the beach.

Extra information

Rules
None

Still sorting them out, but no real problems for now. Just be respectful to tourists on the beach if the seasons overlap, but usually winter is kiting season and the beaches aren't very full. The beaches can get really crowed with sunbathers and swimmers during the spring and summer months. Avoid Mid-day on sunny weekends. After 5 pm the crowds are mostly gone.

Nightlife

Lots of nightlife in town.