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The wooden fishing pier has frustrated V.B. surfers in summer as much as it has been a saving grace for them in winter. Surfing is restricted within 300 feet of the pier, and during the summer, it isn't allowed at all during the day. Local law enforcers generally frown on surfers and don't hesitate to issue citations for any of a number of infractions, such as surfing too close to the pier, surfing without a leash or surfing during restricted hours. In winter, when the tourists have vacated, the officers slack off and the pier often becomes the place to be. During sizable nor'easters, it provides an easy paddle and a well-shaped right on the south side. When ice-cream headaches come with each duck-dive, a dry paddle is everything.

The north side shorebreak is known as "The Box," not for its resemblance to the super-hollow outer reef in Western Australia, but rather the base of the pier that protrudes like a box. However, when the sandbar is right, south swells produce extremely fast tiny right barrels. Since this spot is off-limits during summer, it's a bodyboard haven. In 1985, Hurricane Gloria took off a third of the pier, which has never fully been replaced. Prior to that, locals would sneak out to the end when it got big and hop the railing, often under chase by the police. Nowadays, the shelter of the pier isn't enough to get you into the lineup on bigger days, but it's better than nothing. Battles with fishermen, which were once as common as along the Sebastian Inlet Jetty, have settled somewhat. But don't drop your guard, or a sinker to the head could ruin your session.