Kiting locations near Lake Worth?

[astro_boy]

Hello,

I'm visiting Lake Worth at the end of March for about two weeks. Very excited!!!

Anyway, I'm looking for advice on where the best kiting locations are near Lake Worth.

Btw, I'm primarily a Great Lakes rider coming from of Ontario Canada. I'm very excited to experience my first ocean riding adventure. Wohooo!!!

Thanks in advance.

[ricki]

Hope you have some nice winds for your visit. The thing about Lake Worth and points well north and south to Biscayne Bay and the Keys are waves. The more wind, the larger the waves that come with it. Things have been a bit lighter this year so it may be less an issue. Anyway, if it is huge in the ocean and you are having trouble getting past the shorebreak you may want to consider heading further south. Say to NE 15 St. in Pompano or even down to Biscayne Bay. ASM and Miami Kiteboarding run some great sea taxi rides out into calm, flat, shallow waters in the Bay that work with winds from all directions. With each inlet you pass going south, usually the waves drop appreciably. They have some nice swells off Lake Worth by the way.

Anyway, as to spots. Some guys ride regularly about 1/2 mile north of the Lake Worth Pier near the Four Seasons Hotel. You could park in the public lot north of the pier and walk up. I would advise launching, landing and riding well away from bystanders here or anywhere else down here for that matter. You recall Cherry Beach, there is more than a bit of that going on down here. The good news is the density of kiters in LW is quite low. Another spot is to the south just north of the Boynton Beach Inlet. Watch the tides there as on an incoming tide it really rips inland. It is a scenic place to ride. With most areas here DON'T ride within 100 yards of any beach with lifeguard towers. That should avoid most of the problems. Another spot is further south still, Delray Beach off the south end about 500 ft. of Casurina Road. This is a very popular spot so it can be crowed at times. A good alternate is a park about 1 1/2 miles south. There is just one lifeguard stand there so be sure to stay well away from the guarded area.

I would tune into the weather resources at: http://fksa.org/showthread.php?p=47650#post47650 to get an idea about what is blowing through before your sessions.

Another area is to the north on Palm Beach. Parking can be dodgy but you can walk north of the guarded area and away from Royal Palm Blvd.. There are some regular kiters in that area. There are lots more spots but that should get you going.

Have a great trip!

[astro_boy]

Thanks Rick. I hear your with the advice on not riding near people/lifeguards. That's standard practice where I ride and totally respect it.

I noticed that there are two in-land lakes near Lake Worth. Are these rideable waters? From Google Map, I also see that there's a protected Bay west of Ocean Blvd. Is this stretch rideable?

Btw, I'm not an experienced wave-rider. Where I typically ride, my freshwater lake experience is up to about 5ft swells at about 23knts or so, which is my limit. Any advice on how to best manage with shorebreaks and larger waves?

Do I need to worry about sharks while I'm there? I know that there's been closures recently due to migrating sharks near West Palm Beach I think.

How do water taxis work if I were to ride further south? Do they simply drop you off and pick up at specific times? I wouldn't mind doing this for a few sessions so I can hit some nice flat water.

Lastly, do any of the riding locations that you mentioned work for side-shore winds? I noticed the wind patterns lately shifted to more S-ly, which should be have some "on" component, but mostly cross-shore.

[ricki]

Good to hear that, please pass it along. I am hearing about some new threats in far flung places due to incidents. It is such an unnecessary hassle for riders and the sport also it is fairly easily avoided.

They aren't that wide and with the high coastal ridge and development inland have some fairly uneven wind (gusts and lulls) due to wind shadow. Also, access is fairly difficult. There is no parking or real public access along the eastern side and the west is fairly heavily developed. I don't know of anyone that kites there these days. I wouldn't recommend riding there.

For sheltered water you would do better in Biscayne Bay or off the Florida Keys to the south or off Sebastian State Park to the north.

Good, it is unlikely you will have much more than 23 kts or much over 5 ft. seas to deal with. It is possible but not particularly likely. The closer it is to onshore and at certain tides, the harder it can be to get out through the break. It can come down to having enough kite power, strong edging and timing passing through lesser waves and keeping your balance as you pass over them. It is good to weight your back foot to avoid digging into them by accident. The nature of the waves will change with water depth and the tide so waiting can help sometimes. As I said, the waves will drop with each inlet you pass moving southward. So if you find it too difficult to get out in LW you could head to NE 15 ST. in Pompano.

I haven't heard much about large migrating sharks for a couple of weeks off here. They usually taper off sometime in March.

The sea taxi guys run you out there, anchor and stand by while you ride. I put up some past article links below. In good wind it would really be worth your while to do it.

All the coastal areas work for side shore winds. That direction also usually has the lowest seas as well. You want to be careful about losing a board although usually the waves will bring it ashore eventually.


http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=10463
http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=10495
http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=658
http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=1263

[astro_boy]

Thanks again Rick. I have a few more questions..

Do I need to worry about the tides in and around LW area? How do I best understand the risks, if any, associated with rip tides? You see, we don't have strong rip currents in my local lakes so I don't have to worry about those risks here.

Those links from your downwinders are amazing. I will defnitely consider them in my plans. How long are these downwinders typically? And if I only had to pick one downwinder (I'm travelling with family so any epic sessions will have to be limited to keep everyone happy), which area/stretch would you recommend?

Btw, if I make my way to the Keys for a few days, should I bother with taxi-ing or are there enough driveable/walkeable flatwater areas there?

Now something kiting unrelated, what's the best area to experience good snorkelling near LW? Right now, I'm thinking of heading somewhere down in the Keys but this knowledge is unfounded so far (haven't done the research yet).

How about good spots for seakayaking and SUP? For seakayaking, we'd prefer finding a spot without any real swells, and ideally pair this activity up with snorkelling. Another plan is to kayak to a flatwater spot with my wife, she snorkels while I session for an hr or two, then paddle back.

Sorry for all the questions. I really appreciate the help so far.

[ricki]

I think they might be more accurately referred to as rip currents. Anywhere you have waves, I would expect rip currents although some areas are a lot more threatening than others. I wrote an article on this for the Kiteboarder a while back: http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=9552

They have them all along the eastern Florida coast. They are usually a greater threat in SE Florida for weak swimmers, children, the elderly and less of a problem for strong swimmers particularly those that swim out of them parallel to shore. Most kiters seem to ignore then in our area being strong swimmers with the smart ones wearing impact vests for the odd bad day.

They don't run the downwinders all the time so if one comes up during your visit and you can get away that may be the one for you. Otherwise I would try to get out to Stiltsville if good winds are on. The family could go to the Sea Aquarium, Crandon Park, Bill Baggs State Park or even the atoll-like lagoon at Matheson Hammock while you are offshore. These are all somewhat near where you would board your sea taxi boat. They could even go to South Beach and drop you off.

Most of the Keys contain flat or calmer water and there are a number of readily accessible launches down there. Some rent SUP gear like Whale Harbor (I think) and Smathers Beach in Key West. Some of the kite shops down there rent SUP boards as well. There are grass beds nearshore for snorkeling but the reefs might be more interesting still. Regarding Stiltsville is a unique venue with the stilt buildings, Miami skyline, Cape Florida lighthouse, etc. and if you can fit it in, I would try to do so.

There is an artificial reef very close to shore in Boca Raton off Red Reef Park, the Delray wreck off south Delray about 800 ft. offshore. The reefs are closer to shore and shallower south of Hillsboro Inlet in Pompano however. If there is much wind, these areas may all be chopped up with poor visibility. Taking a snorkel boat to the Florida Reef Tract down in the Keys if conditions are good would be more ideal I think. Key Largo offers some good prospects in that regard.

[astro_boy]

You're awesome Rick. You've been more than helpful and I really appreciate it. I'd buy you a beer if we ever meet up :P

One last question, what driveable/walkable access spots are there to ride in Biscayne Bay if I'm looking for some flatwater action? I noticed Crandon Park but you apparently need a PASA or IKO certification, both of which I don't have.

Are there closer spots to Lake Worth for flatwater action than Biscayne Bay and the Flats?

[ricki]

The ASM concession at Matheson Hammock allows experienced but uncertified kiters the opportunity to take a short written test to be able to ride there. More at: http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=10083

We have touched on all the flat water spots near LW that I would suggest previously in this thread. Waves aren't so bad in fact that is what some of us ride for. Some unexpected side shore wind came up today to around 20 mph. As it was side shore the waves were around 2 to 3 ft., less earlier and not much of a barrier.

There are a wide variety of riding venues just in South Florida, wind willing, check them out! More at the top stickies at: http://fksa.org/forumdisplay.php?f=89

[jmcbain]

I am staying in lighthouse point which looks to be about 10 minutes from pompano beach and will be arriving on Friday night. Another fellow Canadian coming down to check out the florida scene on a family vacation!

My question is what kites to bring. It seems like it has been a relatively light wind season from what I can tell. I have an 8M, 12M and 19M. I was originally going to bring my 8 and 12 but now i am having second thoughts as i dont' think that i have seen any 8M weather...unless i have been missing something...my main source of info has been windguru and ikitesurf.

I may try to bring all 3 kites but luggage is at a bit of a premium. What would you do if you were in my shoes? 12 and 19?

Trying to coordinate with the family to get out to the maimi kite masters on saturday. Hopefully I can meet you there. Will you be participating in the races?

Judging by the current forecast it looks like the 19 might come in handy for this coming weekend.

J

[ricki]

I was out tonight on a 13 m and was well powered. Depending on body weight, etc. some might have been out on 10 m I would guess. Lots were on 12 m however. Anyway, as you have assumed, this has been a lighter than normal wind season for us. Usually, your 8 and 12 m would cover most conditions this time of year. This year it has been quite light. What sort of kite is your 19 m and how much do you weigh? At a guess I would think a 12 and 19 combination might work, unless strong frontal winds start firing in.

I will be going down to shoot the masters. Christophe is often lucky with wind, hope it comes through again!