Surfing In Jacksonville (Jacksonville Beach, St. Augustine: skateboarding, home, living in)

[House23]

Hey all when I move to Jacksonville later this year I would like to learn to surf. So I was wondering how the surfing community was, and if there was many sharp tooth friends in the area?

Do some of the local surf shops teach surfing, or is there maybe a local surf club to join to help me get into it? I don't want to go out there in the line up and just get in everyone's way while I'm learning. However I won't know anybody when I move so I think this would be a great way to create some friendships while at the same time learning to surf.

I know further down the coast at New Smyrna it's pretty bad with sharks, and I have been out there and body surfted in the mid 90's, but how are they up in Jacksonville? I know you are more likely to get struck by lightning than be bit by a shark, and I'm more concerned about jellyfish.

On that note also does Jacksonville Beach get many sting rays?

[abvavgjoe]

I think you should take up skateboarding.

[madcapmagishion]

As to our more toothy piscine friend ...yes there are an abundance of sharks just off the beach in Jax Just past the breakers is the home to a lot of small 3'-6' spinner sharks great to catch on rod n reel because of their aerobatics. Also common 2 times a year is the Blacktip migration, where thousands of them go up the coast in spring and down in early fall. I have also caught a 10" Mako about 200 yards offshore during the Kingfish Tournament a few years ago maybe 20 yards past where the swimmers were. And many years ago (1975) from the end of the old Jax Beach pier Blackie Reasor caught a world record Hammerhead Shark over 14' and 703 lbs. So yes we have sharks just use common sense though don't go in if theres alot of bait fish activity in the area.

[jwolfer]

Originally Posted by abvavgjoe

I think you should take up skateboarding.

I like the advice

[madcapmagishion]

You have a better chance of getting hit by a car skateboarding than you have of being bit by a shark while surfing...LOL. But then again you have a better chance of getting hit by lightning or winning the lottery than getting hit by a shark.

[House23]

Originally Posted by madcapmagishion

As to our more toothy piscine friend ...yes there are an abundance of sharks just off the beach in Jax Just past the breakers is the home to a lot of small 3'-6' spinner sharks great to catch on rod n reel because of their aerobatics. Also common 2 times a year is the Blacktip migration, where thousands of them go up the coast in spring and down in early fall. I have also caught a 10" Mako about 200 yards offshore during the Kingfish Tournament a few years ago maybe 20 yards past where the swimmers were. And many years ago (1975) from the end of the old Jax Beach pier Blackie Reasor caught a world record Hammerhead Shark over 14' and 703 lbs. So yes we have sharks just use common sense though don't go in if theres alot of bait fish activity in the area.

Thanks for the info!

[House23]

Originally Posted by abvavgjoe

I think you should take up skateboarding.

I used to skate a little when I was younger, I'd rather take up surfing though.

[madcapmagishion]

As far as Sting Rays go I don't ever remember hearing of anyone getting stung by one here in Jax or anywhere else in Florida. Usually people get stung because they step on them, just remember to shuffle your feet when you walk in the shallows and you will be OK. There are a lot of Manta Rays just offshore and whats great about them is they are usually accompanied by Cobia which follow them like Remora follow and stick to sharks. Cobia is one of the best eating fish around and an awesome light tackle fight, in fact when you get them in the boat you have to hit them with a bat like club to subdue them or they will trash the boats interior.

[abvavgjoe]

Originally Posted by madcapmagishion

You have a better chance of getting hit by a car skateboarding than you have of being bit by a shark while surfing...LOL. But then again you have a better chance of getting hit by lightning or winning the lottery than getting hit by a shark.

My bad. Learn to play video games. However, you should do pushups and situps or something so you don't get fat and die of a heart attack, stroke, diabetes, etc.

[mississippimagnolia]

Originally Posted by House23

Hey all when I move to Jacksonville later this year I would like to learn to surf. So I was wondering how the surfing community was, and if there was many sharp tooth friends in the area?

Do some of the local surf shops teach surfing, or is there maybe a local surf club to join to help me get into it? I don't want to go out there in the line up and just get in everyone's way while I'm learning. However I won't know anybody when I move so I think this would be a great way to create some friendships while at the same time learning to surf.

I know further down the coast at New Smyrna it's pretty bad with sharks, and I have been out there and body surfted in the mid 90's, but how are they up in Jacksonville? I know you are more likely to get struck by lightning than be bit by a shark, and I'm more concerned about jellyfish.

On that note also does Jacksonville Beach get many sting rays?

Hello House!

I spent twelve years living in Hawaii and love to surf! My husband surfs as do my boys. We have only lived in the Jacksonville area for about a year, so take my advise with that in mind.

First, I've heard (not sure this is true) that unless you live at Jax Beach, the surfers can be a little unwelcoming to new surfers. Again, I have no personal experience with that. They guy that sold us one of our boards told us that he would go out with us so that the locals wouldn't give us a hard time. This kind of thing is very true on many of the Hawaiian beaches, so it wouldn't surprise me.

The good news is that you can surf at Mickler's (or any of the nearby beaches) without any problems. People are very friendly! The same is true at St. Augustine.

The beaches here are beautiful. The surf is not great. You'll find some ride-able waves, but nothing exciting. And when the waves are up, the rip can be intense. Before you go out, make sure you know how strong the rip is. I am used to surfing huge waves on Hawaii's North Shore. I don't remember fighting rip currents nearly as strong as they are here sometimes.

Sharks: Last summer there were several bites at Micker's. But they were just bites. No fatalities. Use commons sense. I try not to surf at dusk or dawn. Other than that, there just isn't much you can do.

Jellyfish: I was stung twice on Monday. My husband was stung once and one of my kids was stung. None of the stings were bad enough to even make us get out of the water. I keep a spray bottle of vinegar solution in our beach bag. That takes the sting out pretty quickly. Sometimes there are tons of jellyfish. And sometimes you won't see any. The flags don't seem to mean much.

If you're a strong swimmer, just get a board and give it a try! Start out trying to catch the waves on your stomach to get used to the timing. Once you are catching waves easily, push up to your knees a few times. Once you can do that, just stand up! What's the worst thing that can happen? You'll fall into the water. In Hawaii, we had to worry about coral reefs. Here, it's just soft sand.