Sunset surfing in South Beach

[Guest endymion]

We have had 20 MPH steady sustained wind all week in Miami. It has been kicking up one-foot wind chop across Biscayne Bay. Normally we only get wind this good in the winter so I have been out every day enjoying what it's like to have wind on a warm day. I brought my camera out yesterday afternoon for some sunset surfing between the Standard Hotel in Miami Beach and Isola di Lolando, the unfinished artificial island south of the Julia Tuttle.

My surfski at home on Belle Isle.

The Standard Hotel pool deck is in the upper right.

One-foot wind chop and 20 MPH sustained wind.

When you turn down-wind you can feel it take you from 6 MPH to 12 MPH.

On a wave at about 14 MPH.

Beautiful wave trough, about 16 MPH.

Riding over a wave shoulder to the next wave in front of it.

Went too fast, around 18 MPH, and hit the wave in front of me. Slows you down.

Wave field in Isola di Lolando at sunset.

[Guest coach]

Man, I got seasick just from looking at the pictures. Looks like good times.

[Guest endymion]

I'm sitting at my desk at work and I still feel like waves are rolling under me.

Surfskis are so much fun in Miami. More people should try them. Riding a wave for a mile at the speed of the wind is worth the trouble. Doing it with some raging tunes playing on an iPod is even more fun. I submit the fact that I have enough time while riding a wave to go "oh nice wave" and pull out my camera to take a photo of it, and mess with my iPod, and mess with my GPS, as evidence of how much fun this sport is. Getting back up-wind after a surf run is the only part that sucks.

My iPod decided to play "Surfing On A Rocket" right about the time where I shot the photo with the 'on a wave at about 14 MPH' caption. I [heart] my iPod.

[Guest HouseJunkie]

Another 80 miles out and you could have stopped by and say hello to Fidel.

[Guest endymion]

Another 80 miles out and you could have stopped by and say hello to Fidel.

This sport uses a simple human-powered fiberglass boat that's totally sea-worthy, that can cover 90 miles down-wind in a few hours. You can build a sufkski and paddle in a few days, real cheaply.

SSSSSSHHHHHH DON'T TELL ANYBODY IN CUBA!!!

[all4tribal1414779019]

Another 80 miles out and you could have stopped by and say hello to Fidel.

This sport uses a simple human-powered fiberglass boat that's totally sea-worthy, that can cover 90 miles down-wind in a few hours. You can build a sufkski and paddle in a few days, real cheaply.

SSSSSSHHHHHH DON'T TELL ANYBODY IN CUBA!!!

oye im from cuba meng wsup! i write down directions okay meng

thank u my friend!

[Guest michael^heaven]

Cool pics man!!! I'd like to try that some day.

New Smyrna Beach wave review:

Tues:Waist-high, choppy. Rained & glassed off around 1pm, then waist-to-chest, glassy barrels.

Wed:Super choppy, 'victory-at-sea' 'till around 4pm. Then, fun chest-to-shoulder high, semi-choppy with the incoming tide.

Thurs:Chest-to-shoulder high w/head high sets & semi-choppy.

Wind is supposed to calm down for Friday. NE 5-10 mph. 8)

[Guest endymion]

Wind is supposed to calm down for Friday. NE 5-10 mph. 8)

That sucks cuz I like the chop!

I was wondering if you were getting big wind swells up there or just scattered chop. I skated to the pier at the end of South Beach to scout and the water in front of Government Cut looked like a washing machine so I didn't even try it.

You should try the surfski thing. I want to get some people together and go about 10 miles out on a charter and then ride hurricane swells back to shore on skis. 10 or 15 miles down-wind on glassy six-foot swells in the summer time would be like heaven. Worth a few bucks for a ride out there.

The thing about board surfing is that when the wave hits the beach, it ends. You can surf on waves that never end.