Islamorada spots

[dracop]

Can anyone share info on spots in Islamorada? I am thinking of driving down tomorrow (Wed 4/2) and Thursday. 15mph wind from the east, good for my 16m NRG Light Breeze.

I was thinking Anne's Beach, but have never been to Islamorada before and did not wish to wander around looking for beaches. Keys have great water but few beaches.

SKill wise, I'm a noob doing downwinders, need the 16m in that wind as I weigh in over 110kg.
Is Anne's Beach a good spot? bad spot? I was dreaming of driving down in the AM so I could setup early.

[tswierkocki]

I'm not an expert on the area but I have done some downwinders the full length Islamorada. The easiest public places to launch from are either Anne's Beach or the Whale Harbor Marina. Both have flat shallow water pretty far out.

If you can hook up with another kiter the downwinder from Whale Harbor Marina to Anne's beach is pretty awesome.

[LucyTheDog]

I've been to Anne's Beach to check it out but did not ride because of a North wind. I'm also a newbie so take my advice accordingly. I do go upwind

Anne's beach is barely a beach because the mangroves go right to the water. The amount of sand is dependent upon the tide. The water looks very shallow so launching should be OK when there is not much sand.

Newbie's experience for going upwind: I've found that when I can't go upwind I simply don't have enough wind for my kite/board combination. As soon as I have enough wind to easily start and plane the board, the kite wants to go to the edge of the window generating more apparent wind (and more power) and then I'm able to edge. Note: I'm only 70kg and my big board is a 164x45cm; given your weight I hope you have an even larger board.

[gregfun]

Go to Whale Harbor and do a downwinder to Ann's Beach. Call Otherside Board Sports and perhaps they can pair you with a local kiter to guide you

[dyyylan]

PM me and I can give you a google maps marker for Anne's beach, it's not marked for some reason but I guess that's a good thing.

There really aren't any "nice" launches in the keys, all the beaches are pretty sketchy but the spots you can ride in are amazing, so it is worth it. As said Anne's beach is barely a beach and self launching is very difficult because of the enormous wind shadow. If you don't have someone to walk your kite into the wind you will have to drift launch. Whale harbor might be friendlier for you but they usually make you pay for access.

Depending on how much you want to drive, if you want an actual beach there is Bahia Honda. The water isn't as flat but there is a long strip of beach that is nice. Also have to pay for access here.

[dracop]

Thanks guys!

I did Anne's Beach yesterday, was fantastic.

My only beefs were the bridge south west of Anne's Beach and the large number of buoys with lines in the water. That bridge is an incredible hazard and the water current was going straight to it. It was not difficult to body drag back up north in the onshore wind but the area nearer the bridge has more waist deep water. The ankle high water during low tide made it difficult at times as I kept running aground on shallow spots. The buoys all have lines attached that can tangle with your kite lines if your kite goes in the water. Hard to see all of the buoys.

If anyone else ever does this spot - the second beach at Anne's Beach where everyone launches - here is a helpful hint if you find yourself close to the bridge: There is a shallow sand bar (ankle high water at high tide / wide area above water during low tide) about 300m seaward of the bridge. Don't go near the bridge, just go out to sea and you will be able to stand and walk back like a half kilometer, at which point you are in the clear.

The bridge of doom presents enormous problems - I accidentally got close to it (<200m, near the rocks) and that was a miserable 30 minutes getting out of that situation. Do whatever you have to do even fi it means falling back to body dragging or marching in the water with your kite in hand, but avoid getting in front of the bridge at all costs. Life threatening hazard for a beginner imo. Your kite is level with cars driving on a bridge with power lines above and boats coming under the bridge all the time. That last mini beach to the SW before the rocks is definitely the boundary before it becomes tricky to escape that zone. The current loves to go to that bridge too as thats the waterway between Atlantic Ocean and GUlf of MExico waters. Water temp kept fluctuating between really cold and really warm water over there, you could tell its a weird spot.

Thanks for the suggestion dylan, I would pay for a nice beach actually. I will look into bahia honda and see how that goes. Whale Harbor looked tricky to me.

[kazi]

The currents out there are a definite hazard and something to be aware of.

Glad you had an overall good time.

[On a Rampage]

Thanks guys!

I did Anne's Beach yesterday, was fantastic.

My only beefs were the bridge south west of Anne's Beach and the large number of buoys with lines in the water. That bridge is an incredible hazard and the water current was going straight to it. It was not difficult to body drag back up north in the onshore wind but the area nearer the bridge has more waist deep water. The ankle high water during low tide made it difficult at times as I kept running aground on shallow spots. The buoys all have lines attached that can tangle with your kite lines if your kite goes in the water. Hard to see all of the buoys.

If anyone else ever does this spot - the second beach at Anne's Beach where everyone launches - here is a helpful hint if you find yourself close to the bridge: There is a shallow sand bar (ankle high water at high tide / wide area above water during low tide) about 300m seaward of the bridge. Don't go near the bridge, just go out to sea and you will be able to stand and walk back like a half kilometer, at which point you are in the clear.

The bridge of doom presents enormous problems - I accidentally got close to it (<200m, near the rocks) and that was a miserable 30 minutes getting out of that situation. Do whatever you have to do even fi it means falling back to body dragging or marching in the water with your kite in hand, but avoid getting in front of the bridge at all costs. Life threatening hazard for a beginner imo. Your kite is level with cars driving on a bridge with power lines above and boats coming under the bridge all the time. That last mini beach to the SW before the rocks is definitely the boundary before it becomes tricky to escape that zone. The current loves to go to that bridge too as thats the waterway between Atlantic Ocean and GUlf of MExico waters. Water temp kept fluctuating between really cold and really warm water over there, you could tell its a weird spot.

Thanks for the suggestion dylan, I would pay for a nice beach actually. I will look into bahia honda and see how that goes. Whale Harbor looked tricky to me.

Didn't see this before as it has been windy. Many have learned there. Just a word of advise, if anyone needs info on local knowledge, try stopping at the local shop.

Anne's Beach is a great spot for beginner thru advanced. The lobster trap buoys are only in deep water. None on the flats. I hear of maybe 2 people a year that have problems with the buoys. Same goes with the bridge. The last few day, low tide has been round 5 pm. That means the water was pushing out for 1/2 the day and not sucking toward the bridge. The biggest problem is beginners not being able to go upwind get to the point of no return, too close to the bridge and then decide to go again because they don't want to walk upwind and then put themselves in a bad spot. The flats are a couples hundred yards wide. Why stay near the bridge? If the water is too shallow then you are too close to shore. The power lines are on the road near the bridge. Once again, don't go near the bridge.

As for the lack of good beaches? The local shop could have told you about Curry Hammock SP. grassy setup, big sandy beach, bathrooms, showers, gazebos with grills, huge shallow riding area, no power lines, no bridge, no current, etc... The spots you can ride at Bahia Honda SP has nearly no beach.

Otherside Boardsports
(305)853-9728
www.othersideboardsports.com

[dracop]

Actually I emailed you guys but did not get a response in time (I did get your email afterwards). I also could not find your shop as I wanted more info about the area and stuff like rides to the flats. I live an hour and a half away by car so I plan on going down there more often. I may go tomorrow, if I wake up early enough I will try to find your shop. I really would like to talk to you in person about the area as I wish to explore some of the other sites top see which ones I like best.
I am happy to hear about the State Parks, thats the second recommendation for one.

I did enjoy my experience in Islamorada, the bridge and the buoys were the only thing that bothered me (the bridge straight up scared me, with crazy current and dangerous conditions). I generally prefer deeper water to avoid people, flotsam, structures, etc.

The current at 5pm was pushing hard to the bridge, I was trying to avoid it but on a wipe my kite lines got tangled with lines from a buoy in front of that big flat. Current swept me up in a heartbeat. FYI there are alot of buoys and traps out there, I saw several atop the flats at low tide around 5pm. <shrug> Its not a problem if you know what to expect imo. Just have to stay farther to the north to ensure not getting screwed up near the bridge for any reason. Having the info in a thread thats google searchable is helpful. I did actually do a google search before heading down there, this level of detail did not show up.

In the end, no harm no foul. I suffered no injury and no loss and had a good time. Just got a good scare for a few minutes, one of the few times I wondered if I would have to ER as I was not going to attempt to fly the kite right at the bridge (readily apparent suicide tactic).