South Florida Introduction
First, brush up on your Spanish and stretch your credit card limit by at least a grand; now drop the chassis on your metallic green pickup and add some tint, hydraulics, maybe even a Bad Boy sticker; finally -- and most importantly -- stash a fishing rod, skateboard or some sort of flat-spell fallback behind the seats.
Now you're ready for a trip to South Florida.
Suffering the state's worst bouts with consistency and access, South Florida may not be an ideal surf destination. But it is one of the most prosperous regions in the country, offering a wealth of recreational activities. In fact, one feasibly could venture offshore after sailfish in the morning, shop along Worth Avenue in the afternoon and party all night in South Beach -- just in a single day. With a little luck, you might even fit a surf in edgewise.
Many Central Florida surfers believe that South Florida begins where I-95 changes from four to six lanes, but this regional cliche carries little weight. The best way to delineate between the two areas is by their individual surfing cultures. While surfers from Central Florida are all to eager to "represent," their South Florida counterparts will be more ambiguous, claiming their roots as "Florida" or even "America." And the farther south the origin, the more muffled the response.
Major geographical and climatological differences divide the two regions as well. The Gulf Stream ventures closest to North America around Lake Worth, giving South Florida a more tropical feel. South of Jupiter, water temperatures rarely drop below 70 degrees, even in the dead of winter, and swells retain more of their size, force and form as they travel unimpeded through the deep channel off the South Florida coast. When it's on, surfers down south enjoy warm, clear-blue water and periodically larger surf with better form. The problem is, "on" is a word that's rarely used to describe the surf in South Florida.
Most spots past the Fort Pierce Inlet (South Hutchison Island to Miami) can only receive groundswell from sources north and northeast of the Bahama Bank, an archipelago 60 miles off of the Florida coast. The Bahamas shield the region from frontal assaults by hurricanes and southeasterly swells, making it less consistent than breaks up the coast, especially during summer months. Except during large east swells and the extremely rare swells coming from 180 degrees south, the beachbreak at Fort Pierce's North Jetty is the first spot north enough of the Bahama bank to work on easterly groundswell, essentially marking the transition into Central Florida.
The point? Unless "hot and flat" is your idea of fun, stay away from a summer in South Florida.
Crowds
South Florida is home to as many surfers per capita as Southern California or the Gold Coast of Australia, with less than half the surfing opportunities. Lineups are usually crowded with ravenous surfers on every form of equipment imaginable. Although surf reports and cameras have eliminated much of the guesswork, the dialed-in surfer can still enjoy relatively uncrowded days at the top breaks during sneaker swells. Obviously, the waves are least crowded during business and school hours on weekdays, and sizable windswells take the pressure off any one break or peak.
Be advised that if you find a good, uncrowded wave, it's a safe bet that the local vibe is heavy. From the Lake Worth Pier northward, all of the top spots have given rise to a close-knit community of highly protective surfers. The localism that exists south of Lake Worth has been diluted by the masses. Some of these communities are more tolerant of outsiders than others, but acceptance requires time spent and dues paid.
Hazards
SHARKS
It's a fact that more shark attacks occur in South Florida than anywhere in the world, and the majority of each year's dozen or so incidents happens during the baitfish runs. Every spring and fall, as the water finds that perfect temperature, whole acres of baitfish (mostly mullet, pilchards, sardines, cigar minnows and ballyhoo) pass through lineups across the state and feeding frenzies erupt spontaneously amid huddled surfers. Bull and tiger shark strikes have been documented in the region, but the usual culprits are the spinner and black tip sharks that mistake a hand or foot for fish. While these accidents mostly result in a few stitches, more serious attacks have occurred. Two fatalities were recorded in 1999, and in both cases, the victims were small grommets. For this reason, fall can be a better time to fish than to surf. While fall is the prime time for activity, South Florida is basically sharky year-round. Always watch for these curious, could-be hazards.
HURRICANES
The tropical season runs from June 1 to November 30, but usually doesn't kick in until late summer; in fact, hurricanes are South Florida's likely source of groundswell between August and October, depending on their paths. Tropical systems usually approach from the southeast, gaining size and momentum as they move north toward the Eastern Seaboard or west into the Gulf of Mexico or Caribbean Sea. To bring swell to South Florida, storms must pass along the east side of the Bahama Bank. As they approach, south-southeast swells will show first in Central and North Florida. Located just across the Fort Pierce Inlet, North Jetty is usually the first place near South Florida to break. However, the Northwest Providence Channel provides an east-southeast swell window for spots between Fort Lauderdale and Boynton Beach. For a few hours, while the storm is directly east of this channel, very quick, powerful short-period swells come raging through and light up the stretch of coast. As the storms pass to the north of the Bahama Bank, east-northeast swell lines begin to show from Hutchinson Island south into the Palm Beaches and eventually arrive at the breaks in Dade and Broward counties. During north-northeast hurricane swells, the largest surf to be had in Florida -- or anywhere along the southeast U.S. coast -- will usually be between Hutchinson Island and Palm Beach.
Of course, there's always the chance that a storm will simply bust west through any swell windows and wreak havoc over the entire region. Monitor all tropical disturbances closely -- South Florida is mainland America's frontline against these natural catastrophes, and a quick shift left is all it takes to turn a hurricane from a delirious surf-provider to a disaster.
The Seasons
Summer
South Florida generally receives one last northeasterly swell during the first week of June before entering a period of interminable flatness. While hurricane season technically begins June 1, it's rare for storms to kick in before August. During June and July, South Florida surfers may enjoy a day or two of respite when a high-pressure forms on the east side of the Bahama Bank and the east-southeast trade winds come onshore. The Deerfield, Lake Worth and Juno piers offer the shapeliest surf under such conditions. The odd east-southeast groundswell pulse will also show occasionally at the North Jetty in Fort Pierce, but in most cases, Costa Rica remains the area's best surf option.
By August, the sandbars have had two months to rest and replenish themselves, so the surf can either be as good as it gets or completely flat, depending on the hurricane season. Should they have sufficient fetch, hurricanes generally deliver the biggest, cleanest and best-organized swells of the year. The clockwise rotation of hurricanes creates near constant offshore wind conditions in South Florida. However, along the Treasure Coast (from Stuart northward), the same winds will typically come sideshore mid-morning due to the orientation of the coastline.
Fall
Although autumn officially begins September 23, humidity and flatness generally prevail. South Floridians are unlikely to feel any crisp air until November. Hurricanes continue to be the primary swell source for South Florida, but the North Jetty in Fort Pierce begins to see east-southeast swells from other weather systems and serves as a favorite travel option. Trade wind pulses spawned by intensifying high-pressure systems take the edge off the wait for hurricane swells. But as August passes into September and summer passes into fall, the likelihood of swell from hurricanes and other sources increases significantly. September often brings the first nor'easters, which creates powerful windswells and semi-clean surf near piers and jetties. Early season cold fronts are also possible, more often than not creating cleaner north or northeast swells. Fall also marks the peak of baitfish runs (so keep your feet away from any fins), but by the time cooler weather arrives, usually about mid-November, most of the bait has migrated south. Water temperatures will remain in the mid to upper 70s, but air temperatures can sink low enough to require a springsuit or vest.
Winter
By Thanksgiving, hurricanes are a bygone threat for non-surfing Floridians and a fond memory for surfers. Baitfish also are mostly gone, as are the days of trunking it without a shiver. Water temperatures rarely drop below 70 degrees south of Jupiter, thanks to the Gulf Stream. Usually a springsuit is sufficient from Singer Island south. Air temperatures in South Florida will occasionally approach freezing, but on such days, there is no need to piss in your wetsuit as the water stays warm, sometimes emitting thick fog banks. On the other hand, a fullsuit is often necessary from Juno Beach northward, since air and water temperatures will fall below 70 during most winter swells, even hitting the 50s around Fort Pierce.
Spring
The early spring season is a period of volatile, irregular weather patterns. Swells and wind can arrive from every direction during March and April, and often deliver some of the biggest and most unruly north and northeast swells of the year. For some reason, the low-pressure systems tend to stick around a little longer and gales are more inclined to form south of Bermuda, but windswell conditions occur consistently as do wind and groundswell mixes. During spring, mobility is the key to scoring along the South Florida and Treasure coasts. Road trips to Fort Pierce's North Jetty and beyond take you into waves during east-southeast groundswells.
By April, South Florida surfers begin traveling north due to another, itchier reason: sea lice. These microscopic organisms burrow into the skin (like chiggers) and die. Marine biologists maintain that larval jellyfish are the culprits. As the organisms decompose, they excrete an itchy, acidic compound. The organisms are caught in hair-covered bodily regions and/or where boardshorts or rashguards have trapped them against the skin. The unfortunate host/surfer will suffer three to four days until the large, red welts subside. Unfortunately, while the north-northeast swell season is nearing its close by May, the sea lice epidemic persists into July.
| Related Tripwires: |
MARCH MADNESS
(09/29/05) Reef Road, Florida goes looney at the end of March |
AFTER THE FALL
(09/22/04) Living Through and Reconstructing Florida After Hurricane Frances: Five Perspectives |
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