Where to move in FL for kiting?

[AntiAntiCamper]

Hi everyone,

I'm a kiteboarder currently living in Dewey Beach, Delaware and I'm most likely moving to Florida, probably Miami or Tampa/St. Pete, with kiting being the primary motivation behind the move. I'd like opinions on what you consider the pros and cons of the various areas. I've kited Tampa/St. Pete and really like those spots but I also surf when there is no wind so obviously the east coast would be better for that. I've also kited in the Keys and living in Miami would be easier access for those areas but I've heard that there are increasing access issues around Miami itself. Is this true?

Thanks in advance for advice!

AntiAntiCamper

p.s. if you live near water and have the need for the skills of a mathematican/computer programmer then you can make this decision easy for me!

[ricki]

You'll likely get lots of good input on Tampa Bay area riding from the folks in that vicinity, so I will leave discussion of those parts to them. Even Miami has limited wave prospects with things improving further north, starting around Delray, improving still more in northern Palm Beach County, Jupiter and beyond. The Bahamas does a nice job of shielding Miami through Pompano from a lot of the deep water swells. The Bahamas and Florida Reef Tract shield most of the Keys from waves as well. Some get through at times though. Miami has had kiting access issues for many years, there is nothing new on that front. Just fewer areas to kite hassle free. As a rule of thumb, the greater the population, the more access issues you can expect. If you like waves and could find a good job in the area, Jupiter and parts there about have a lot to offer. They also seem to have fairly good winds up that way as well.

Happy hunting!

[BigR]

I've kited in Miami for 5 years and in Tampa for 7 years after that, there are no waves to speak of in either city except for a few days out of the year, you need to go to jupiter or northwards for that. Miami is crowded with only 3 spots to kite from. Tampa has alot of launches to choose from.
Both get enough wind during the season from october thru april with 12m being the common size. You'll need a fullsuit for 2 or 3 months in tampa , miami all you need is a shorty. for west winds in miami you'll need a boat to launch in biscayne bay or goto marco island. tampa works in all wind directions. In miami traffic is BAD! unless you live/ work close to downtown by the grove. Miami will feel like another country at first, tampa is less cosmo. tampa per se is BAD traffic too. I would suggest st petersburg near desoto or sarasota instead. Either way you'll be jonesing for wind all summer.

[Steve-O]

Tampa Bay gets all kinds of wind. I would argue to say that we might be the windiest place in Florida maybe next to the keys. I don't think you can beat the access from all wind directions. Still pretty laid back here if you get away from Tampa.

As far as waves, it is only a 2.5 hour drive coast to coast to Cocoa Beach which has some of the best waves on the Florida Coast.

The central Florida corridor west to east has it all IMO.

Good luck!

[LSUkiter]

I would recommend Tampa/StPete, esp. St Pete. I grew up in New Orleans, but would never leave this area. From a kiting perspective, everybody here is really cool and personable. I think you'd kite with more down to earth people here than in Miami. Our wind isn't stellar, but I'm sure its no better in Miami. If you check here and Kiteforum, Miami already has issues with bans and rules, whereas we haven't had any problems as of yet(major ones). Everyone here is fairly pro-active about safety and keeping our beaches open. We have a local who's whole M.O. is safety, open access, and community outreach(Tampa Bay Kiteboarding Association). I don't know him personally, but I greatly respect what he's doing. I can't wait for my work schedule to slow down so that I can participate more in the association. There used to be a website TBKA.org, but its down right now. It should be back up once the windy season starts

[TBKA]

Thanks for the kind words LSU
I used to live in New Orleans also, on the West Bank, before my kiting days.
I would definitely choose Tampa Bay over Miami, just plan to take a few summertime trips, or take up wakeboarding. I suggest finding a place in Pinellas County (St. pete),Tampa is a nightmare!
Here's a few of our launch sites:
http://www.kiteboardingtampabay.com/launchsites.htm


We hope to get TBKA.org back up soon.

[LSUkiter]

I grew up in Metairie.
No thanks needed. I really appreciate people like you and RickI and others who go out of your way for our sport.

[chui]

There seems to be quite a bit of kiters in Pompano Beach off of 14th st. Im looking to move to the area myself very shortly. I work not far from there and want to be close to the beach and Pompano is pretty reasonable priced as well.

Chui