Surf Cat

CONNECTCOMMENTEMAILMORE

I never thought I would learn how to surf, especially in my 30s.

I’ve always loved the ocean and boogie boarding, but I was terrified of surfing after a bad experience I had as a kid.

In January, my friend Carrie Boudrias got private surfing lessons for her birthday. Her husband, Chet, bought them for me, too, so she would have a surfing buddy.

We booked our two-hour, two-day lessons with Jeff Hawkins, manager of Fort Pierce Surf & Skate, for the last weekend of February. The water at Pepper Park Beachside still was chilly, so Hawkins and his assistant brought us wetsuits.

After Hawkins explained how to position, paddle and pop up on the board, we hit the water.

The first day was a struggle for me; I couldn’t catch a wave. Then my friend started riding 3- to 4-foot waves, and my competitive fire was lit. On the last wave, I finally stood up.

The second day was much more exciting, catching and standing up on more waves. Even with spinner sharks jumping along the horizon behind us, I didn’t want to stop.

I was hooked. All I thought about was surfing. I even dreamed about it.

I continued surfing on weekends at Pepper Park by renting or borrowing long, soft top surfboards. By the end of March, I hit a wall in my progress. I hadn’t caught a wave in a while.

A large swell rolled through the area that probably was too big for a beginner like me, but I needed the practice.

So I took a deep breath and started paddling into the waves. I turned around, and shark fins popped up right behind me.

Startled, I fell off the board but climbed back on — just in time for a massive wave to break on me. The surfboard whipped around and karate-chopped me in the throat.

I thought I was done with surfing. Feeling defeated, I went to the surf shop with tears in my eyes, seeking advice from Hawkins.

He told me to be patient. Surfing isn’t a sport that can be picked up in weeks or months.

“Surfing takes years to learn,” Hawkins said.

I took his advice and changed my perspective. Hawkins, who started Sonic Surfboards with his brother in 1994 and has surfed locally since 1982, joined me for a few surf sessions on days with larger sets to build up my confidence.

Since then, I’ve continued to surf and catch waves at Pepper Park every weekend — sometimes even twice a weekend.

Now that surfing has become my passion, I wanted to find the best local surfing spots for beginners.

Time to try, Treasure Coast

“This is a community, not just an event. We come together to give these families a day at the beach and no one judges them. They get to see their kids do something amazing,” said Tracy Bastante, not pictured, of Coconut Creek, who watched her son, Damian Richter, 17, center, surf during the Surfers for Autism’s Fort Pierce Surf & Beach Festival on Saturday, June 1, 2019, at Pepper Park Beach in Fort Pierce. “My son started when he was five and now he surfs competitively. It gave him self-confidence and an identity,” said Bastante, who helped organize the event. Adults with autism or parents and guardians of children with autism were asked to submit a surfer participation request. Surfing was limited to 200 participants for safety and to ensure enough time with the instructors. The event was free. MOLLY BARTELS, MOLLY BARTELS/SPECIAL TO TCPALM

Fullscreen

Replay

• 1 of 20
• 2 of 20
• 3 of 20
• 4 of 20
• 5 of 20
• 6 of 20
• 7 of 20
• 8 of 20
• 9 of 20
• 10 of 20
• 11 of 20
• 12 of 20
• 13 of 20
• 14 of 20
• 15 of 20
• 16 of 20
• 17 of 20
• 18 of 20
• 19 of 20
• 20 of 20

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Florida isn’t a world-renowned surfing destination like Hawaii, Australia or California, but it’s the perfect place for beginners.

(The state still pumps out professionals. Look at the current roster for the World Surf League’s Championship Tour. The oldest, 47-year-old Kelly Slater, and the youngest, 17-year-old Caroline Marks, are from Florida.)

If you want to avoid crowded locations with experienced surfers at the Sebastian Inlet and Fort Pierce Inlet state parks, the Treasure Coast has at least six great spots for beginning surfers.

Replay

• 1 of 30
• 2 of 30
• 3 of 30
• 4 of 30
• 5 of 30
• 6 of 30
• 7 of 30
• 8 of 30
• 9 of 30
• 10 of 30
• 11 of 30
• 12 of 30
• 13 of 30
• 14 of 30
• 15 of 30
• 16 of 30
• 17 of 30
• 18 of 30
• 19 of 30
• 20 of 30
• 21 of 30
• 22 of 30
• 23 of 30
• 24 of 30
• 25 of 30
• 26 of 30
• 27 of 30
• 28 of 30
• 29 of 30
• 30 of 30

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Pepper Park Beachside: 3302 N. State Road A1A, Fort Pierce

Bruce “Spunky” Strunk, who sold his longtime Fort Pierce surf shop and retired at the end of May, has been surfing locally since 1971.

He suggested Pepper Park because it has a series of sandbars that creates a casual break. The beach’s outer shoals prevent waves from getting too big.

“It’s a much better small-wave break to accommodate entry-level surfers,” Strunk said. “You want a little bit of a wave that breaks along the sandbar as opposed to just sucking out and closing out all at once.”

Plus, Pepper Park, which is across the street from a fire station, has lifeguards. They watch for bad weather conditions, marine life and rip currents.

“You’ve got the security of knowing if anything ever happens,” Strunk said, “you’re in good hands.”

Waveland Beach: 10350 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach

Strunk warned there’s no outside barrier reef to break down the waves when the swell gets big, but the beach typically has a soft wave during the summer. Plus, it has lifeguards.

“It’s just one of those nice, off-the-beaten-track waves where you won’t find a lot of people,” Strunk said.

Replay

• 1 of 10
• 2 of 10
• 3 of 10
• 4 of 10
• 5 of 10
• 6 of 10
• 7 of 10
• 8 of 10
• 9 of 10
• 10 of 10

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Avalon State Park: North State Road A1A, 4 miles north of Fort Pierce Inlet State Park or 9 miles south of Vero Beach

Avalon is a good beach for beginning and intermediate surfers that’s also off the beaten path, he said, but it’s unguarded.

The waves break outside and travel along a sandbar, making for a long ride, he said. It’s a good place for longboard and fun-shape boards.

“The majority of the waves are pretty small and pretty gutless,” Strunk said.

With a long stretch of beach available, surfers can spread out and find waves easily.

“It’s typically very uncrowded,” Strunk said. “It can take quite a few surfers, although you don’t tend to see that many out there, even when it is good.”

Dollman Park Beachside: 9200 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach

Dollman is good for beginners on small-wave days, Strunk said. It has small and big wave breaks that recently have been discovered by surfers from Fort Pierce, Jensen Beach and Stuart.

“During the dog days of summer, it’s a great place to go,” Strunk said.

Catching waves at mid-tide — about two hours after dead low tide or two hours before full high tide — works best for all the St. Lucie County spots, he said.

Replay

• 1 of 19
• 2 of 19
• 3 of 19
• 4 of 19
• 5 of 19
• 6 of 19
• 7 of 19
• 8 of 19
• 9 of 19
• 10 of 19
• 11 of 19
• 12 of 19
• 13 of 19
• 14 of 19
• 15 of 19
• 16 of 19
• 17 of 19
• 18 of 19
• 19 of 19

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Stuart Beach: 889 N.E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart

Tara Schwartz, who owns Ohana Surf Shop, uses Stuart for lessons and takes beginners to the south end near the dirt parking lot. It has a little break and isn’t too deep, she said. The beach has lifeguards.

“There always seems to be a little sandbar on the south end,” Schwartz said. “It’s sandy bottom. You don’t ever have to worry about hitting rocks.”

She suggested going just before or just after low tide — a two- to three-hour window. Otherwise, the water would be too deep for 1- to 2-foot waves to break over the sandbar.

“The smaller the wave, the better you want that sandbar to be,” Schwartz said. “It makes (the wave) pop up.”

Jensen Beach: 4191 N.E. Ocean Blvd., Jensen Beach

Brett Jenkins, who co-owns Cowabunga Surf and Sport with his parents, uses Jensen for lessons. He used to teach at the north end because of a sandbar, but it has shifted. Now, he teaches at different parts of the beach, which has lifeguards.

“Even in the summer swells, where there’s no wave really any place else,” Jenkins said, “it still has enough force to get up and break because it’s so shallow.”

Near low tide, the sandbar is knee- to waist-deep, so it’s perfect for smaller waves.

“The better experience to have as a beginning surfer will probably be at a low-tide break with a little 1- to 2-foot wave that’s just kind of rolling through,” Jenkins said.

Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm’s entertainment reporter and columnist dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Read her weekly column, Laurie’s Stories, on TCPalm.com. Follow her on Twitter at @TCPalmLaurie or Facebook at faceboook.com/TCPalmLaurie.

Treasure Coast surf shops with lessons

Fort Pierce Surf & Skate

• Address: 2126 N. U.S. 1, Fort Pierce
• Surf lessons: $100 for two hours
• Surfboard rentals: $30 per day (only soft-top surfboards)
• Surf camp: Ages 6-15, 10 kids per week; 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; first week of June to third week of August; $200 per week
• Phone: 772-444-5282
• Website: www.facebook.com/fortpiercesurf.skate

Ohana Surf Shop

• Address: 652 N.E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart
• Surf lessons: $80 per hour or $100 for 90 minutes, includes surfboard for remainder of the day (discount rates for groups)
• Surfboard rentals: $20 per hour or $45 per day, plus $5 off for multiple days
• Surf camp: Ages 5 and older, 25 kids per week; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday-Friday, second and fourth weeks of June, and second, fourth and last week of July; $200 per week (camp also includes standup paddleboards, skim boards and boogie boards)
• Phone: 772-287-0041
• Website: www.ohanasurfshop.com

Cowabunga Surf & Sport

• Address: 4336 N.E. Ocean Blvd., Jensen Beach
• Surf lessons: $75 per hour or $110 for 90 minutes (discount rates for additional students)
• Surfboard rentals: $15-$35 for two hours, $30-$60 per day, $45-$90 for two days (cost depends on soft, hard or premium surfboard)
• Surf camp: Ages 5-15, 75 kids per week; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for $265 per week or 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for $295 per week, Monday-Friday, first week of June to first week of August (camp also includes lunch, camp shirt, bodyboarding, skim boarding, floating slide and beach games)
• Phone: 772-334-7873
• Website: www.cowabungasurfandsport.com

CONNECTCOMMENTEMAILMORE

Read or Share this story: https://www.tcpalm.com/story/entertainment/whattodoin772/2019/06/12/surfs-up-summer-top-6-local-surfing-spots-beginners/1287425001/