I’ve been going to Stuart the past couple years in early March and have really enjoyed winging there, but flying into Orlando has me wondering about heading over to Cocoa Beach area instead since its closer.
Wondering how the foiling compares…
…and how staying in that area might compare (I’ve been getting an airbnb in Jensen Beach where I can easily lay out all my gear, which has worked well; food scene is fine).
I think generally… we (Stuart ↔ Jupiter) get slightly better / frequent wind.
They (Cocoa ↔ Melbourne) get much much better prone foiling.
The intercoastal is big up there too so at 520 slick you have a spot like Jensen Causway for wingin n para dingin if that’s your thing.
thx…one of the reasons I ask is I read different things about how appropriate some of those launches are for foiling around Cocoa Beach (vs windsurfing or kiteboarding)…I think some of the rec’s warn about shallow water for foiling at 520 slick for instance…
Something else to consider is water temp, which may or may not be a concern for you. Jensen water temps will typically be 7 to 10 degrees warmer than Cocoa Beach that time of year.
For winging the seabastian inlet park was a win when I was there a few years ago in march. The park on the inside supports wind from any direction, a full 360 degrees. Local crew was cool even with an average age in the 70s(props to the blue hairs) The outside (monster hole) is pretty heavy on any wind direction that would be wingable - I proned one day but it was scary
location was nice, feels remote From the mainland which is fun but it is an extra hour to get there.
The difference is an hour or 2 drive. If you are in the area, and the wind is on you will be able to get some where with wind.
Stuart is better because it gives you access to Fort Pierce which is arguably the best winging on the east coast of USA when it’s working with a north wind. Plus the river and the ocean and it’s warmer.
A good day at Fort Pierce is as good as it gets winging.
To be fair, the driving time difference between getting to Fort Pierce from Stuart versus cocoa is literally minutes. I would prefer Stuart all day long, hence why I moved to the area. I think a large part of why one would choose one location over the other is probably going to be driven by cost, housing availability, and other lifestyle factors. If money is no object, and you’re chasing wind and waves, and for some reason need to be in Florida, it can’t get much better than Stuart. If the action isn’t there, it’s a relatively short drive to go north or south.
Stuart has more reliable wind in Winter. Cocoa Beach has more reliable wind in Summer.