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Ponce Inlet - Break Data
Surf spot travel photo of Ponce Inlet
Description
Before you tackle Ponce, you may want to stop and check in front of the old Blackbeard's Restaurant. It has three sandbars, can have excellent surf and is less crowded. If you're determined to join the pack, Ponce is just a little ways south of here and is best on a south or east swell. It can hold larger, mack daddy-size surf and is good on all tides, but higher incoming is best. The long jetty protecting the inlet helps make crunchy rights at times, but it can also be a mushy wave that breaks well off the beach. It all depends on the conditions.

One thing that doesn't change is Ponce's crowd -- and it's a hard crowd at that. Many of the locals here are long term, some -- such as John Logan -- are experienced pros and all of them must face an inordinate number of fellow surfers from town and elsewhere. Conversely, it's also home to a high percentage of women surfers, who are perhaps drawn in hopes of surfing with Lisa Andersen, who lives nearby.
-- Strange Kaufmann 		Best Tide:
all
Best Swell Direction:
S, SE, E
Best Size:
2 feet and up
Best Wind:
W, SW, S
Perfect-O-Meter:
6 (1=Lake Erie; 10=Jeffreys Bay)
Bottom:
sand
Ability Level:
intermediate to advanced
Bring Your:
running shoes, in case you accidentally run someone over
Best Season:
year-round, but fall is best
Access:
drive on the beach and park anywhere
Crowd Factor:
can be heavy
Local Vibe:
heavy -- protection-oriented locals
Bicep Burn:
6 (1=1ft Waikiki; 10=15ft Ocean Beach)
Poo Patrol:
3 (1=clean; 10=turds in the lineup)
Hazards:
with any luck, the locals and sharks will duke it out
Places To Eat
Driving down A1A from Flagler, a good local beach restaurant to check out is Snack Jacks (386-439-3344), complete with surfboards on the wall -- there used to be a break out front. Once you enter the Daytona area, be prepared for a teeming mass of resort restaurants, where it's hard for the locals to stake a claim. One exception is the Bernkastle Festhaus (386-255-8300), owned by local surfer Glenn Teshner and known for good food and the best beer selection in town.
Places To Stay
In Flagler Beach, the Topaz (386-439-3301) is a nice, moderately priced hotel just south of Z-Wave Surf Shop. A good place to stay in Ormond Beach is Argosy Motel (386-441-0630). It's an older-style motel, but it's clean, right on the beach and only charges around $40 per night. Once you hit Daytona, it's a free for all, but there is a Hilton on the ocean, or see what the web has to say. New Smyrna, on the other hand, has a few more obvious choices. Across from Quiet Flight on Flagler Avenue is The Sea House Motel (386-428-8081), and the Sea Vista (386-428-2195) is a reasonable ocean option with a pool, tiki bar and good rates. It's the choice of most surfers when staying in Smyrna for the ESA Regional Surf-Offs and other larger pro contests. There's also a KOA campground in New Smyrna (800-562-1244).

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Things To Do
New Smyrna, Ormond and Flagler Beaches are a little light in events, but that's OK, 'cause you've got Daytona. Besides early season favorites like spring break and Bike Week, there's always the infamous Daytona International Speedway -- for tickets and scheduling, see what they say on their website. If that doesn't work, check out any number of touristy nightspots, or the locals' favorite watering hole, 600 North (386-255-4471).
Surf Shops
Flagler Beach is home to Z-Wave Surf Shop (386-439-9283), and Ormond has Aloha Ocean Sports (386-673-4280), but the bulk of opportunities is further south. In Daytona, Mad Dog Surf Shop (386-761-5999) is right on A1A, owned by local surfer/shaper Bernie Crouch. Bernie runs a tight shop with that small surf-shop feel, and is one of the more feared surfers at Ponce. There's also Salty Dog Surf (386-258-0457) and Maui Nix Surf Shop (386-253-1234). Down in New Smyrna, you have Red Dog Surf Shop (386-423-8532), Quiet Flight Surf Shop (386-427-1917), Nichols Beach Shop (386-427-5050) and Inlet Charlie's (386-427-5674), owned by U.S. and East Coast champion Charlie Baldwin. There's also an assortment of shapers in the area, such as Greg Geiseleman's Orion Surfboards (386-423-0609).

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