From our friends at www.digandflow.com
Paddle boarding is one of the world’s fastest growing water sports and has become particularly popular throughout the state of Florida, namely because of all the awesome locations it has. While serving as an extremely fun and relaxing way for people to spend time in the water, stand up paddle boarding also offers strength conditioning, yoga classes, cardio, and balance training. We’ve dug around and come up with the best places to paddleboard in Florida for the next time you find yourself in sunshine state.
In addition to the sunny weather, Florida offers paddle boarding lessons, guided tours and almost 2,000 miles of coastal waters. As enthusiasts statewide continue to come up with more ways to have fun paddle boarding, a rising number of Florida vacations are being planned and from these awesome spots it’s not hard to see why.
-Perfect Paddles Travel Brief-
Best Time of Year to Visit:
In general, the best time to visit Florida is in April, May, October, or November. These months have fairly low rainfall levels and warm temperatures without too much heat and humidity. (www.tripping.com)
Average Temperature:
On average, Florida has the mildest winters in the Continental United States. Average lows range from 65 °F (18 °C) in Key West to near 41 °F (5 °C) degrees Fahrenheit at Tallahassee, while daytime highs range from 64 °F (18 °C) at Tallahassee to 77 °F (25 °C) at Miami. During the summer, minimum temperatures range from near 70 °F (21 °C) in northern Florida to near 80 °F (27 °C) in the Keys. High temperatures during the summer average in the lower 90s Fahrenheit statewide. The heat index can easily reach 103-110 degrees.SUP Environments to Paddle In
Ocean
Bay
River
Lakes
Mangroves
SUP Activity Highlights:
Excursions
Tours
SUP Surf
SUP Yoga
Wildlife Paddles:
Florida is a fantastic spot to see a vast array of wildlife. On a guided tour paddlers often have a chance to see manatees, dolphins, and even whales! To get in on a wildlife paddle, use our Locations/Activities guide HERE!
Perfect Paddles Deals to Get Your Ready for Your Trip:
RHEOS (Floating) Sunglasses- 15% off with Member Benefits
Duk Gear- 20% off a waterproof cell phone case with Member Benefits
Check out more of our gear options HERE!
Interested in any of these extra activities? Be sure to head HERE to find a list of paddle pros in the area and what they offer!
Additional Attractions:
Walt Disney World Resort: The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World and Disney World, is an entertainment complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, in the United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee.
Everglades National Park: Everglades National Park is a 1.5-million-acre wetland preserve on the southern tip of the U.S. state of Florida. Often compared to a grassy, slow-moving river, the Everglades is made up of coastal mangroves, sawgrass marshes, and pine flatwoods that are home to hundreds of animal species. Among the Everglades' abundant wildlife are the endangered leatherback turtle, Florida panther, and West Indian manatee.
Universal Orlando Resort: Universal Orlando Resort, commonly known as Universal Orlando or simply "Universal," formerly Universal Studios Escape, is an American theme park and entertainment resort complex based in Orlando, Florida. The resort is operated by Universal Parks & Resorts, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal.
Epcot: Epcot is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences, and Products division.
Disney's Animal Kingdom: Disney's Animal Kingdom is a zoological theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. Owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division, it is the largest theme park in the world, covering 580 acres.
The Ernest Hemingway Home: The Ernest Hemingway House was the residence of American writer Ernest Hemingway in the 1930s. The house is situated on the island of Key West in Florida. It is at 907 Whitehead Street, across from the Key West Lighthouse, close to the southern coast of the island.
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens: The Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, previously known as Villa Vizcaya, is the former villa and estate of businessman James Deering, of the Deering McCormick-International Harvester fortune, on Biscayne Bay in the present day Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida.
Dry Tortugas National Park: Dry Tortugas National Park is in the Gulf of Mexico, west of Key West, Florida. It comprises 7 islands, plus protected coral reefs. Garden Key is home to beaches and the 19th-century Fort Jefferson. Loggerhead Key has a lighthouse and sea turtles. On nearby Loggerhead Reef, the Windjammer Wreck, the remains of an 1875 ship, is a popular dive site. Bush Key is a nesting site for seabirds like sooty terns.For reference, be sure to check out our Perfect Paddles Activities map! For Florida, you will find it below:
Perfect Paddles Shops/Outfitters Near the Locations:
1. Paddleboard Winter Haven, Winter Haven
2. Wave of Wellness, Orlando
3. Lake Life Paddle, Orlando (Buddy Deal!)
4. Paddling Paradise, Palm Bay
5. Sarasota Paddleboard Company, Siesta KeyBuddy Deals: Don’t forget to take advantage of our fantastic Buddy Deals for exclusive discounts for our members! To become a member head HERE.
The Best Places To Paddleboard In Florida
Destin
Destin is located in Northwest Florida and makes for an excellent paddle boarding location. Even though the town is somewhat small, Destin accounts for more than 80 percent of the Emerald Coasts’ 4.5 million yearly visitors while offering a plethora of paddle boarding outlets.
After originally being formed as an island, Destin was hit with multiple hurricanes and sea level changes. Fortunately for the town, this resulted in merging with the mainland and a connectivity of extremely calm, constantly flowing water. These calm waters surround three total sides of the town, making it one of the Southeast’s largest tourist destinations and one of the best places to paddleboard in Florida.
A recently opened Destin surf shop called The Xperience offers lessons and clinics for novice paddlers while lending out practice boards free of charge. After teaming up with a Destin based yoga studio, the surf shop also offers stand up paddle boarding yoga classes on the water to help paddlers stay fit.
Destin is also home to Crab Island (a favorite among locals). This underwater sandbar is waist deep for adults and offers paddle board rentals by the hour. In addition to being featured on Good Morning America and in Boating Magazine, Crab Island attracts paddle board enthusiasts from all over the globe on a regular basis.
The island also has live bands on floating stages, floating food and drink vendors, giant inflatable water slides, trampolines and obstacle courses for any paddlers looking to take a break from their boards. Crab Island in Destin is also a great place for novice paddle boarders to meet some friendly locals and learn a few tips on how to paddle better. Everyone in the area is friendly and usually very willing to help.
Key West
Key West is said to be one of the best places to paddleboard in Florida and a favorite among tourists.
Key West has some of the clearest water in all of Florida and some SUP rentals even offers LED lit clear-bottom paddle boards for underwater viewing. This illuminates the entire ocean floor and provides a beautiful view of sea life below.
While enjoying incredible views, wonderful weather and beautiful mangrove islands, paddlers can also take yoga lessons on their board to work on strength conditioning, balance and breathing. The mangroves prevent strong tides from entering these sessions and make for an incredibly relaxing experience.
Miami Beach
According to many, Miami Beach is not only one of the best places to paddleboard in Florida, but it is also a great way to get some sightseeing in.
While enjoying sunny weather year round, paddle boarders in Miami Beach have an amazing view of the skyline. According to TropixTraveler, many of the paddle boarding tours offered in Miami Beach venture into Biscayne Bay, putting James Deering’s historic mansion and Vizcaya Museum in plain sight.
For any paddle boarders looking to work on their stress, SUP The Workout offers assistance via stand up paddling. In addition to lowering stress significantly, these stand up paddling sessions also help with stability, coordination, balance and strength.
Miami Beach also offers LED and neon lit tours. Paddle boarders are able to see straight down into the clear crystalline waters of the lagoon, while enjoying a beautiful sunset. Find out more about the Neon Tour here.
St. Petersburg
Due to highly sought out nature tours, calm gulf waters and extraordinary marine life, St. Petersburg is another one of the best places to paddleboard in Florida. Consisting of beautiful bays, waterways and beaches, St. Petersburg attracts paddle board enthusiasts from all over the world.
The popular stand up paddle board company Water Monkey offers two hour long guided tours through the mangrove islands, giving paddlers a view of the area’s amazing scenery from their board. According to the official Water Monkey website, these tours are held seven days a week at the company’s Fort De Soto location. The company also sends out Google Map directions for anyone who is not familiar with the area. Even though these tours are sought out by many and tend to fill up quickly, boarders can find other outfitters who offer similar services by just padding along the shore.
For paddle boarders looking to have a more fitness oriented experience, stand up paddle boarding full-body workouts and yoga classes are available through many of the St. Petersburg based outfitters. Much like in Destin, St. Petersburg locals are also very friendly and usually offer assistance to novice paddle boarders.
When taking a break from paddling, St. Petersburg paddle boarders are also able to engage in skim boarding, kiteboarding, kite flying, wake boarding, surfing, boating and windsurfing along the Gulf Of Mexico.
Santa Rosa Beach
It comes as no surprise that the beautiful Santa Rosa Beach is considered one of the best places to paddleboard in Florida. Santa Rosa Beach is full of beautiful homes, calm waters and peaceful rides down the bayou. Not far from the popular Okaloosa Island, Santa Rosa Beach boarders are able to paddle their way to nearly deserted beaches full of SUP Yoga lessons.
South Walton
While paddling through South Walton, boarders are able to see dolphins, beautiful springs and flowing rivers. South Walton caters to paddle boarders are all experience levels and even offers private lessons for beginners. Many of the lessons offered though South Walton outfitters such as YOLO and Hungry Boards, include basic balance instruction and group paddles so no one feels out of place.
While these South Walton based outfitters are a great starting point for beginners, they offer advanced clinics for the more experienced paddlers and deliver them free of charge. Additionally, South Walton paddlers are able to explore the bayous along exploration guided tours through the Western Lake. These hour and a half long journeys are lead by certified individuals with many years of experience.
If looking for a more fitness oriented or competitive experience, run stand up paddle boarding consists of an entire mile run through the heart of South Walton and is followed by a paddle boarding race. According to the official SoWal website, these events are held frequently and anyone interested should sign up at the Watercolor Inn & Resort’s Boathouse. The Watercolor Inn & Resort’s Boathouse offers practice sessions for novice paddle boarders in protected waters.
These Areas Are A Paddle Board Enthusiasts Dream Come True
It comes as no surprise that these areas are considered the best places for paddle boarding in Florida. In addition to the almost perfect weather year round, clear water, guided tours and yoga lessons, Destin, Key West, Miami Beach, St. Petersburg, Santa Rosa Beach and South Walton have just about everything a paddle board enthusiast could ever ask for.
See you out there!
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Avon Park
Florida
33825
United States
- Location Info Guide