Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GET ON BOARD
South Florida is no surfing hot spot; if you want to ride waves in this state, it's generally
best to head north to at least Jupiter Beach. But surfing isn't the only means of using a
board to access the water. Kiteboarding and wakeboarding are growing in popularity, and
are accessible to first-timers looking to try something new.
The equipment for wake- and kiteboarding is the same: the wakeboard is a smaller ver-
sion of a surfboard. In either activity you're pulled along the water; by a boat with a wake-
board and, if it wasn't already blessedly obvious, by a kite while kiteboarding. Either evol-
ution allows you to achieve some serious speed and work some magnificent tricks, al-
though beginners aren't going to be flipping triple maddog overhang bazooka busters off
the bat (we made that up). The flat, shallow waters around Key Biscayne are wake- and
kiteboard central. (Biscayne, by the way, is also a good place to take up windsurfing.)
Check out the following:
Miami Kiteboarding
(
%
305-345-9774;
www.miamikiteboarding.com
; Crandon Park, Key Biscayne, Key Bis-
cayne)
Offers a range of private lessons starting from $150 for one hour of one-on-one in-
struction. Couples get discounted rates.
Causeway, Key Biscayne)
Half-/one-hour lessons run $90/180.
Miami Wakeboard Cable Complex
(MWCC;
%
305-476-9253;
www.miamiwakeboardcablecomplex.com
; Amelia Earheart Park, 401 E 65th St, Hialeah)
Offers lessons in
cableboarding, where the rider is pulled along by an overhead cable system. That means
no boat, less pollution and less noise. Half-/one-hour lessons are $80/140.
Fishing
The world may contain seven seas, but there's only one Fishing Capital of the World: Flor-
ida. No, this isn't typically overwrought Floridian hype. Fishing here is the best the US of-
fers, and for variety and abundance, nowhere else on the globe can claim an indisputable
advantage. The peninsula's position offers an ideal placement between Atlantic Ocean
sport fishing and the calmer waters and line casting of the Gulf. There is excellent fishing
infrastructure in place across the state that caters to all skill levels, from total beginners to
experienced anglers.
Still, water pollution has shrunk Florida's recreational fisheries, and the quality of the
angling in the state will rise and fall based on Florida's environmental conditions.
