Surf: General: The Inlet Beach Pier used to be off limits because it was some corporation's summer camp. They chased surfers off the beach for years, until the State of Florida recently purchased it, making it Camp Helen State Park. Unfortunately, you cannot drive into the park, but the pier can be accessed now from the community west of the pier.

The pier is at a coastal lake outflow, like Grayton Beach, making for a great sandbar, good waves most of the year and zero crowds. There are downsides to all of this, though: it's hard to find, hard to check and extremely hard to park. This spot is located off Highway 98, just after C30-A joins back up with 98 at the Tom Thumb food store. Take the first right after the Tom Thumb food store, and continue to the end of the road. Take a left and follow the roads along the beach until you reach the end of the beach homes. There's a four-story townhouse development where you park. Walk 10 minutes east, down the beach and to the pier. Tides: Low going high Size: Waist-overhead Wind: N, NE, ENE Swell: SE, S, SSW Bottom: Sand Paddling: Easy on small days, tougher paddle on larger swells. Spot Rating: Pretty average spot overall. No one is driving here solely to surf this spot. Access: Park at Camp Helen and take trail to beach. Crowds: Crowd Factor: None to speak of. Local Vibe: Mellow. Environment: This is the emerald coast, so named due to the water color. Hazards: Getting your car towed in the summer. Season: Fall-Spring, Hurricane