Indian Rocks Beach:
Indian Rocks Beach may not be the Gulf’s best surf spot, but the waves are pretty consistent, dump hard on the inside and can put a big hurt on the unaware. Furthermore, as the hometown of former ASP poster boys Shea and Cory Lopez, it’s one of the most active in terms of stoke. With access at the end of most streets, there are plenty of places to surf, though the favorites shift with sand. Fortunately, all you have to do is drive south on Gulf Boulevard and stop periodically to see what’s over the dune line.
As a rule, the breaks north of Central tend to be better on a north swell, while south of Central is better on a south swell. The spots all go by the names of the streets that access them: 6th Avenue, 4th Avenue, 2nd Avenue, Central. Most recently, the main breaks were 12th, 24th and Central, but people tend to congregate near parking. Central is a good place to start looking, as there is plenty of room to surf there. If you find a crowd, walk down the beach and look for your own break. A five-minute walk could produce a newly formed sandbar and excellent waves.