NEW Adventure Sports Ft. Lauderdale Store

[ricki]

Adventure Sports with three locations in Miami has expanded to a fourth location in Ft. Lauderdale. This fully equipped water sports store
is centrally located in southeast Ft. Lauderdale just east of Federal Highway on SE 17 Street Causeway.



The 3200 square foot store was just opened and is still being stocked with new gear.




A panoramic view east. There is store manager, Luke Svanberg. Luke brings a lot of experience to the store being the former
Northeast USA rep for Cabrinha, JP-Austrlia, NPX, is a kitesurfing instructor and all around waterman.
(CLICK photo for full sized image)








The store is very centrally located in Ft. Lauderdale close to the beaches, SR 84/595, 95, Florida's Turnpike, Port Everglades and the International Airport.


ADVENTURE SPORTS FT. LAUDERDALE
741 SE 17th Street Causeway
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316
954-526-9367





Tons of great kite gear with more on the way.








Great SUP boards from Jimmy Lewis, Imagine, JP-Australia plus hot new paddles from Neil Pryde. Got to love those board hangers!








A look at the front of the store with room to grow despite a lot of inventory in place already.
(CLICK image for full sized photo)




The shop is just west of the 17th Street Bridge and a few hundred feet east of Federal.




Windsurfing gear for all occasions in one of the many great custom display/storage areas designed by Garrett Scotti of Adventure Sports Americas.












The store stocks long skateboards and accessories too.




The shop is a short distance from Ft. Lauderdale Beach
(Click photo for full sized image)




Cell phone housings, GoPro cameras and accessories and a good deal more here.




Ft. Lauderdale has long been the center for some great water sports happenings.




Action wear fashions for guys, girls and kids.








Another pano view of the store interior, what a great layout.
(CLICK image for full sized photo)




So that is just a first quick look at the new store. I would expect parties, events and great times to follow here per long tradition established
in the Miami stores. Here's to great times on the water!


.

[BradyQuick1]

Nice photos.

[ricki]

Thank you! Here's to an early fall and good wind all around!

With the opening of Aventure Watersports in Fort Lauderdale on 17th St Causeway, the end of kitesurfing on Fort Lauderdale is in sight.

The commercial interest of this store will drive newbies kiters to their nearest launch location. This has been a hard contested kitesurf beach.
Lifeguards and city commissioners (Parks & Recreation) have been struggling not close that location in the last 10 years for kiters.
When there was an commercial interest on that beach, the policing of the launch area and the critical "Stay Upwind" criterea, kept kooks and newbies mostly away and relegated to other areas further north and south.

Kent and other that are apparently not making enough money in Miami, and were too late in opening a store in Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale by the Sea, have now set their sights on Fort Lauderdale.
This beach has always been a contested launch as the channel to get away from the beach is small, the large amount of swimmers close by, and especially in the weekend, other watersporters that use that same small strip of land.
Add to that the newbie with is expensive new kite he just bought from Adventure Watersports and the clock is ticking for disaster.

As Hobie beach in Miami closed it ranks from the idiots unwilling to follow the rules, now more hard headed idiots will go to this beach.
It is not a beach for learners. It is not a beach for doing tricks close to shore.
But Adventure Watersports won't care. They wanna sell. They won't tell their customers what to do. They wanna move products.
It was a good time until now. Too bad that greed will close another good kite beach.

Rider sustainability is a great thing to talk about in our watersports and discussions of access and resposibilities are encouraged.

Reality and history have told us a different story ....

[ricki]

Eric,

We are right to be concerned about access in Ft. Lauderdale and many other areas in SE Florida for that matter. When Neil and Chris were full time baby sitters on the beach there, things were better, part of the time. Not for them of course having to deal with the crap full time for YEARS but that is another story. Thanks again to them both and particularly Neil in the more stressful years in coping with it for so long.

To my knowledge things have never permanently stabilized at that small launch in terms of access, not now or even years back. We just met about access problems within the year as you may recall. It has been some of the local kiters stepping up to try to keep things sane that has made a difference. This will likely continue to be the thing that keeps access open here.

Hobie Beach is an interesting case to bring up. You may recall that Ft. Lauderdale kiters were key in finally getting that launch shut down. Of course there were years of abuses caused by both local and visiting kiters prior to that time. Kent, Todd, myself and others spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to keep that place open for years prior to that pivotal event.

I hear a lot of talk of greed and irresponsible practices. How much time have you spent at the ASM stores in Miami, at Matheson Hammock or on sea taxi runs to the Flats with them? Any time at all? They have spent a great deal of time and effort in promoting sustainable practices and access for a very long time. Greed ignores these issues.

ASM created the designated launch at Matheson to have a sustainable launch to send kiters to. They don't charge for kiter access either, where is the greed in that? They have to pay a lot of money each year to be there too plus a great deal of money they paid out to set up there. They have to try to recover it through rentals and instruction. They offer an annual membership with perks but it isn't required to kite there. I understand they will send new kiters down there from Ft. Lauderdale for proper instruction in better conditions for learning and access.

I have said for YEARS myself for newbies to go down to Biscayne Bay/Sea Taxi operations to learn. It will be faster, easier for them to learn and safer for our access up here. I have said for ten years NOT to kite at the Lauderdale launch if you can't stay upwind, it is an intermediate spot only.

We need more effective leadership in maintaining kiting throughout SE Florida, not less. Kiters on the beach are the front line but responsible kiting businesses promoting sustainable practices are a major part of the mix.

Who did it and when or where is secondary story line.

A "Policeman" has each it designated area of operation. Robbers do not. The kiters on Fort Lauderdale Beach have the vested interested in keeping their launch spot safe and open.
I have no intention of policing other areas, but will step up anywhere in the world, when I see unsafe practices involving kiting.

This new store opening is putting more burden upon a already strenuous location.
Clear and simple.

We can only be there so many times, but when "crimes" are committed we are just fishing behind the net trying to repair damage done.