Florida’s Atlantic Coast has ideal weather for surfing, a rich beach community, and an abundance of beach. Unfortunately, it also has a wide continental shelf which diminishes power from oncoming swells and the Bahamian Bank blocks most southeast swell to the southern part of the state. The beaches are mostly sandy bottom beachbreaks. Summers are often flat, and always hot. Fall is when it all pays off, hurricane season brings strong swells that can make it over the Atlantic coast’s wide continental shelf with any power.
The areas are broken up into Northern, Central, and Southern regions. Stretching from the Georgia border to the area around Daytona Beach, Northern Florida is dotted with small beach towns, major coastal cities, and better than average surf spots, like Mayport Poles and Ponce Inlet. Central Florida is a main hub for the Florida surf industry and also home to the best known surf spots in the state, like Sebastian Inlet and Spanish House. The Gulf Stream flows through a deep channel around South Florida giving the area a distinctly tropical feel. When the conditions are right, waves are said to be bigger and better shaped than the rest of Florida. Hurricanes can bring great offshore winds and good waves, but they can also change course quickly and cause major devastation.