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Only Boca Raton rivals Miami's South Beach for decadence and conspicuous consumption. Simultaneously sleazy and swanky, one must have at least five credit cards, own interest in a title loan agency and be mortgaged to the hilt to live here. The irony is that repo men (a close second would be plastic surgeons) make the most money of anybody.
Boca Raton straddles the Broward/Palm Beach County line and has decent surf, but no great surfers have emerged from the area. They are all too busy comparing BMWs, checking on their penny stocks or preening. Pecking order in the lineup is virtually established upon the kind of car you drive. Boca is one of the few places along the Florida coast where reefs are as prevalent as sandbars, and the place would be more renowned if its swell window weren't so narrow. Unfortunately, the majority of the north/northeast swells fail to reach any farther south than Lake Worth; however, reefs and sandbars in the Boca Raton area are especially well exposed to big northeast swells that can push through in between the semi-consistent windswells to hit a handful of breaks. One of the area's best spots is right on the county line and named as such, but most of the good surf in Boca Raton lies within the accessible city and county parks such as Red Reef Park.
One of the better waves in the area, Red Reef Park is especially fun on windswells. Meaty, inside peaks throw out over a shallow, inside reef. When a big north swell is running, the waves break way out the back over a distant sandbar/offshore reef, and there are a number of other reefs and sandbars in the vicinity. Jap Rock is the best -- north of 40th Street. When Jap Rock is working, long, flawless lines taper along the contour of a reef. It needs north or northeast swells in the head-high range to be perfect.
-- Terry Gibson
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incoming
NNE, ESE windswell
shoulder to head-high
WNW, ESE
3, Jap Rock's a 7
sandy reef
beginners should frequent the less crowded peaks
hotdog board
winter
pay to park
moderate to heavy
competitive
6, Jap Rock will keep you paddling
1
5
Watch shallow reef and crowds.
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Boca Raton is home to the Surf Cafe (561-392-1965), a popular and cheap hangout, especially on Wednesday nights when it draws lots of Florida Atlantic University coeds. It is located on the north side of Spanish River Boulevard about three blocks west of US1 in the Winn Dixie plaza. Mario's (561-392-5885) is a four-star Italian restaurant, and chains like the Macaroni Grill (561-997-5492) provide less expensive cuisine.
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Boca Raton is a resort area with a host of high-end lodging available. The Boca Raton Resort and Club (561-447-3000) is one of the nicest and most historically significant. More reasonable accommodations such as the Ocean Lodge Motel (561-395-7772) are available in the vicinity of the surf, but budget travelers should probably camp at one of the campsites in Broward County.
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You have two choices: play golf or spend money.
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Check out Boca Surf and Sail (561-394-8818), or call the Surf Cafe (561-392-1965) and they'll tell you where to go.
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