When you consider that the nature of the coast is all the same, white sand beaches for miles and miles, you might develop an ill conceived belief that all surf spots are created equal; that just isn’t the case.  There are many spots, and all break differently under a variety of environmental conditions. One thing’s for sure, along the gulf coast you can find some super fun beach breaks.

As a basic rule, the conditions play the most important role.

For example, if your surfing Sand Key Park on a glassy day with northeast winds, the waves you ride towards the left are going to be hollow and barreling, because the winds are blowing directly into them.  On that same day at Honeymoon the winds will be directly offshore, and more likely to barrel on the rights.  But if the winds are north-northeast, only the slightest directional difference, the winds at Sand Key will be blowing across the back of the wave and from the side, creating choppy conditions, while at Honeymoon the winds will be offshore and cleaner.

There also seems to be a summer/winter difference that is hard to explain.  Some portions of certain beaches are only good in the summer, some only in the winter.  For example, The cafe at Honeymoon can be a super wave in the summer, but hardly breaks in the winter.  Similarly, the Ultimar on Sand Key can be a dredging megabarrel in summer, but a weak mess in the winter.  Interestingly winter spots hold up better during summer, than summer spots in the wintertime.

One thing to consider when your in a certain area is that a spot only a mile away could be stellar while the spot your standing in front of may look poor, and of low quality. Even the best of us can have a hard time predicting where the best spot will be, particularly in the summer.  It may be worth driving around to look for the best wave, because surf conditions can vary so greatly.

There are many breaks within the different areas.

There are different regions along the gulf, with different areas, and different waves within those areas.  For example, this website is divided into major areas in the region of west Florida.  It’s divided up into areas that have the most active surfing communities.  Those are Honeymoon Island, Clearwater Beach,  Saint Petersburg, Holmes Beach, and Venice.  Within those major areas you’ll find many other spots, or portions of the beach that perform best under certain environmental conditions.  In Clearwater, the jetty at the southern end of Clearwater Beach can be fun on a west southwest swell direction, typically in the summer.  Clearwater also breaks at Sand Key and 880 in the Winter.  Bradenton has a variety of fun waves, including three piers and White Avenue.  Venice is one of the most well known surf spots in west Florida.  South Jetty breaks behind a jetty during the winter, just like in Clearwater, and is one of the most consistent surf spots in west Florida. North jetty in Venice breaks great in the summer during swells like hurricanes, tropical storms, and low pressure systems.  It’s certainly not unusual to see epic surf breaking along gulf coast sandbars in the summer.  Most often, the gulf breaks when the winter arrives,  when the cold fronts bring cooler weather.

If you’re new to surfing you’ll probably want to do a little bit of research before you head down to the beach, but your best bet is to find the beach that gets surfed the most, spots like Sand Key Park, Sunset Beach Pavilion, White Ave,  or South Jetty Venice.  Choosing a time and place shouldn’t be difficult, but you can use these basic principles, and locations as guides.  All the spots are fun, and all have a vibrant community of surfers.  Almost all of these spots are great places to go surfing; summer or winter, they are awesome places to catch a wave.