Rave: Florida Atlantic Beaches

Everyone in the Birmingham area is familiar with the Emerald Coast, a strip of land from Panama City to Gulf Shores with sugar white sand beaches and crystal clear water.  You can go out chest high but look down and clearly see your feet.  It's pretty awesome but there are some negatives.  Even during the off season, prices remain quite high especially if you want to stay on the beach itself.  There are some days in which the surf is pretty good (3-4 ft) but those days are rare.  Expect 1.5 foot waves as the norm and there are days in which it is completely flat.  Swimming in the Gulf is usually comfortable from early May through the end of October.

I took a trip to Daytona last weekend and did not use any time off work because I had Veteran's Day off as a State employee.  It's about 8.5 hours driving time.  I went part way on Friday evening then got in before noon on Saturday.  I had all day Sunday and half of Monday before I had to leave for home.

There are 2 ways of getting there that are about equidistant.  Route 1 is 65 down to Monty then  231 like I was going to Panama City.  Then, it was east on I-10 to Jacksonville and finally 95 south to Daytona.  The alternate route is 280 down to Columbus, GA then pick up 75 at Tifton before 10 and 95.  I took route 1 going down and route 2 going back.  Probably a good call.

Daytona most definitely has a different vibe.  Sand here is off white and HARD.  You will not struggle at all running on this sand and you can even drive on the beach when it's not high tide.  The water is not as clear but the surf is MUCH better.  Conditions were nearly perfect when I was in there.  Well, maybe a tad too rough but I never felt unsafe.  Waves were in the 4-6 ft range most of the time and came one after the other.  I got wiped out several times but recovered quickly and liked the adventure.  Though I was there primarily for the surf, there are several good restaurants and fun bars as well.  I'll admit that I got a little tipsy on Sunday night.

Several people asked me if I was getting too cold.  NO!  Both the air and water temperature were 75 degrees.  To me, it was quite comfortable.  Even 5 degrees cooler would have been tolerable.  Surprisingly, I was one of the only ones in the water but always swam near a lifeguard in case of unexpected trouble.  Here, water temperatures will remain above 70 from mid-March through the end of November.  I actually prefer going during the off-season to avoid the crowds and high prices while the water remains warm enough.  Perhaps October is the ideal month to go.  Surf definitely picks up starting in the Fall and there is less chance of a cold front.

If you go down to Miami, you will find the crystal clear water.  If the current is flowing from the Caribbean,  it will have a more aqua tint rather than emerald green.  Unfortunately, surf is less consistent and can go flat in the summer.  I wonder if there is a spot in between Cocoa and Miami that offers the best of both worlds.  Looking at YouTube, I'm thinking it's Fort Pierce.  At any rate, I will most definitely take more trips to Florida's Atlantic coast in the future.

Here are some pictures from Daytona: