Beginner's Spots S Florida

[ricki]

It would be great to stop east coast riders from adding to congestion and access concerns on the SW coast when good westerly winds are on. The flats of Miami offer better flat water conditions in my opinion for east coast locals and without any real road trip. You do need to take a sea taxi ride but it is worth it. Of course the same could be said about most of Florida Bay from the Keys, need a boat there as well. Noel, are you folks still running a boat for kiters to the "otherside" in Florida Bay for good westerly frontal winds?

[noel]

Yes we still do the run outback to the bay side of the keys when the fronts come thru. I did how ever forget about the taxi to the flats off Miami. Probably the best option as Mathison Hammock can get very crowded.

Noel
www.othersideboardsports.com

[parcinskia]

Thanks for the input guys! I spent so much time looking around and I saw all these awful posts about beginners not welcome here, there, and everywhere.

Noel, I will be giving you guys a buzz for sure cuz I'm dying to get down to Islamorada. I have a pic taped to my cubicle from the Islamorada Invitational. It looks like you guys have a sick spot.

Rick, thanks for the info on the flats. I will water taxi a few times for sure to get the lay of the land and practice! So excited to get down there in the winter!

[parcinskia]

How much does the water taxi to the Miami flats cost, BTW?

[troubleshooter]

Originally Posted by RickI

It would be great to stop east coast riders from adding to congestion and access concerns on the SW coast when good westerly winds are on.

Rick,

I want to forget you made a statement like this. "Great to stop East coast riders from adding to congestion and access concerns"?

Listen. The waters of Florida are for everyone. Matter of fact so is any other place in the country and most parts of the world. You dont think during honkin east winds riders from west coast come down to the Keys. To Crandon. To Hobie. To Delray. To Pompano. To FT Laudrdale. ARe there any access issues in those places?

In my book. Anyone is welcome from any part of the world. Yes they should follow rules. As we should follow rules in our own local spots. We are a community.

You surprised me Rick.

[ricki]

Do you realize how small the sheltered riding area is that is open to kiters at Marco Island? It's a postage stamp. For years, riders have abused privileges there annoying park rangers and residents alike. Not everyone, just enough riders to create problems for us. There have been local problem riders and quite a few from the east coast. Been trying to help manage this for many years from this coast. You know about this of course, I am sure as hell not making it up.

Ok, now consider the size of the Miami Flats. It is shallow, warm, close by and the wind shadow 6 miles out from land in westerly winds is minimal. Also, there's 50 square miles or more of potential riding area, like you need that much. When a strong wind is on, you might be in a wind destination in the Caribbean. Why don't more people go there in strong westerly winds? The conditions are ideal, far better than they can find in a small, congested and threatened riding area on the SW coast.

We are a community, given the amount of time some of us are spending in trying to preserve access, (I'm well over 40 hours in the last couple of months all over SE Florida), we need to act like a self-preserving and sustaining community. Marco is a small place, too small in many respects. Naples lacks much sheltered water, has a fair amount of chop, a narrow congested beach in tourist months too. Guys in SE Florida have far better conditions close to home but you need to take a boat there. We also have lots of access issues right here of course. If more guys would get off these tight, congested launches and out into the flats, that would bring relief to threatened access right here at home. If they like flat water, they would likely have better sessions too with fewer hassles.

[troubleshooter]

I do realize how small the Marco launch is. Thats not the only west coast launch either. Do you relaize how much room we have at Crandon. What is it, a few hundred feet between lifeguard stands? We ride out and enjoy the vast ocean.

How bout Matheson. We set up on a rock beach that is 2 feet from an asphalt roadway and littered with metal signs and other beach goers that stand 5 feet from the kited to watch. Also about 50 feet of beach if you call it that.

Now, how bout Whale Harbour. We have about 50 feet of launch there off of a very rocky beach and again with beach goers and tourists watching 5 feet from the kite.

How bout Hobie. I know I dont need to explain that one. How many miles of coast line do we have on the east coast in the Tri county area and how many feet of access do we have.

Now the Miami flats are no piece of pie to ride in. You can find yourself all alone out in the big blue water in no time. Like you said. 50 square miles. And if I had to pay a taxi fee everytime I rode I would be broke.

The people that screw up launch sites screw them up wether they are on their home turf or visiting other spots. How would it sound if I logged into the west coast forum and said in east winds go offshore. Stay off our beach on the east coast.

Take a look at YouTube or some of the promotional sites. Theres your access issues.

We make do with what we got and we share within our family. And who are the privelged few that should get to ride Marco. How many of the guys that ride Marco live on Marco Island?

[ricki]

I'm talking about the part labeled "Launch Area." There is nothing like this in any of the areas you mentioned. This launch is unique and threatened, by us. If riders spread out along launches on the SW coast, issues would ease.

In every case you mentioned, you can get away from the narrow launch area and ride as far out and laterally as you want. If people spread out there can be fewer problems. People don't seem to want to do that, although the smart ones usually try .

If more people used the Flats, issues in heavily populated Miami-Dade would ease. That is assuming we didn't annoy the rangers, fingers crossed on that. Go north of West Palm Beach, crowding thins out along with frequent access issues. People pay for dive charters without a second thought, because its worth it. Same thing applies to sea taxi and kiting the flats.

[troubleshooter]

Originally Posted by RickI

It would be great to stop east coast riders from adding to congestion and access concerns on the SW coast when good westerly winds are on.

This is what you said and this is what I reacted on. The SW coast. It wasnt specific to Marco Lagoon. Noel only referred him to the Naples area. I dont think he said go straight to Marco Lagoon.

Im still curious to know who the privelged ones are who get to ride the lagoon? Yes I know about and agree thee are access isues. But how do you manage that. Is there a lottery? And like I said, I bet 99% of the people that ride there do not live on Marco. So the question is, how did we seperate into east coast vs west coast. A west coast rider from Sarasota is still not on his local beach at Marco lagoon.

Thats all Im saying. I think it was a poor choice of wording. And Matheson is exactly like that. Tiny lagoon. Car traffic 2 feet from you. Kids and parents wading in the water 5 feet from you launching your kite. Public park. etc. I dont ride there much but I know the regulars there do a great job of keeping it in line. And they dont post a sign that says locals only. And that is one of the most crowded spots on an east wind because everywhere else is onshore in that direction.

[ricki]

If things go right, getting more riders out into the Miami Flats would solve a lot of problems. The more that go out there, the lower the sea taxi rates should go and the more kiters that will want to follow the crowd and go there as well. People seem to want to go where other kiters are located even if this causes problems. This should result in less crowding at Matheson and ideally help maintain access to the launches remaining in Miami-Dade. There has been 50 even up to 80 riders going to Tigertail in Marco at times. It just isn't big enough to handle that kind of loading much less guys riding further south inside the bar than allowed. Even Naples has reported problems with guys rigging up outside of normal areas. Their beach is narrow and frequently crowded with tourists. Given the density of affluent beach residents it wouldn't take too many problems to get us booted out of there. The solution is not to continue to send people to the SW coast. Build a following to better conditions right offshore and skip the 2 to 3 hour drive. That was the unspoken point of that post. It has shown up in plenty of other posts over the years however.

Throwing more kiters at congested conflicted launches isn't going to solve problems. No one is going to regulate access either short of banning, unless more "Crandon-like" operations show up which isn't particularly likely or desirable unless other efforts fail. The Flats provide a unique option and right off the most populous resident and tourist area in this part of the state. We should use it.