What makes your riding area special?

[ricki]

Lots of us have been kitesurfing for a while. We have had a chance to ride in various parts of Florida and beyond. Still, there is no place like home, Dorothy said it. What special qualities does your home launch have that sets it apart? These qualities can change with the seasons of course. Things like ...

Waves,
Flat water,
Great wind,
Natural beauty,
Great wide beaches,
Wildlife,
Great local crew,
Few People,
Lots of People,
Near nightlife,
Non-kiting activities like diving, fishing, hiking, etc.
???

I need this material for a Florida kitesurfing guide I am working on for SBC Kiteboarding Magazine. The mag. article will refer to resources here with links for more info.

So, what sets your area apart?

Rick,

I kept it brief, but got it started. :P
IMO, the one thing St. Pete has which might be unique and special is every single wind direction covered. I live near the Skyway Bridge and I only have to drive 15 minutes to ride ANY wind direction. I am not talking sketchy launch or risky riding spot either.

The other special thing about our area is the riders. Great group of guys. You may have noticed we chat alot on your forum. We get along great over here.

Waves: Not really, not in St. Pete

Flat water: Lots of it AND on most every wind direction (if you want it)

Great wind: St.Pete IS in FLorida, right? Seriously though, we have it pretty good here from Nov. to early June. In that time frame we get some good winds. Avg. is probably around 18 knots and probably average 2 good days per week (maybe 3) in those months. I like to be conservative with my estimates. Those might be low. I once rode 23 days in a row from late Feb/March. Everyday was at least 13 knots. Alot of those days were good wind.
We get NW cold fronts (which can REALLY nuke as you witnessed) and nice easterlies.

Natural beauty: North beach DeSoto got ranked America's number 1 beach. Again, this is Florida, I have seen tons of beautiful beaches in FL.
Our sunsets might be some of the most beautiful in Florida.

Great wide beaches: We have a few very wide beaches (Treasure Island is about 300 yards wide). The avg. width is about 75 yards along the Gulf.

Wildlife: Yes. Everywhere. And that's not even including Toby or E-bone.

Great local crew: We have about 60 riders. With very rare exception, we all get along exceptionally well. Hard to imagine a better crew.

Few People: Some spots have relatively few people if you wish.

Lots of People: Not hard to find. On an East wind in February, East beach has had up to 40 kites in the sky at once.

Near nightlife: Yep... Tampa, St. Pete, Clearwater. I just got done enjoying a Taste of Pinellas (free) They had Cheap Trick, Pat Benatar and several other bands (yeah eighties.. but free). We have just about everything within a half hour drive here. From artsy fartsy to Hard Rock Cafe to strip joints to ... whoa... better stop this slippery slope.

Non-kiting activities like diving, fishing, hiking, etc: Fishing here is excellent. The tarpon fishing is great. Diving is just so-so... I'll leave other stuff for others.

[ricki]

Thanks for the input Scott. It is just what I am looking for.

There is still quite a bit of Florida yet to describe, so how about it? What makes your local area in Florida special?