Surf Forecast  Sebastian Inlet

Sebastian Inlet surfspot characteristics

More about Sebastian Inlet surfspot

Situated on the northern side of the long jetty that protects the man-made entrance to the estuary waters of the Indian River. Florida’s most famous wave Sebastian Inlet sadly no longer bounces and wedges off the curving jetty after a beach replenishment program and major structural renovations altered the angle and currents, disappearing the iconic peaks almost overnight. Even Third Peak has suffered but can provide fast, hollow lefts when the swell shows some north in it. Further up the beach are Chernobyles and Spanish House, which need more swell to get the left tubes happening. All these peaks prefer low to mid tide incoming, but will break through to high, unless it’s small in which case the backwash takes over. Hole.

General: A long and storied history, Sebastian Inlet was first cut back in the early 1900’s with small coquina jetties. This inlet became the focal point in supporting a growing fishing industry and becoming a popular recreation area. The ebb and flow of sand up and the the coast occasionally closed off the inlet until 1948 when the current inlet was blasted open, creating the permanent opening we see today. While people do occasionally surf the south side of the Inlet, the north side is home to the jetty and all its glories, including the big-league spot, First Peak, and its slightly less-perfect but equally popular siblings Second Peak, Third Peak and OK Signs/Swimmers. Swells bounce off the jetty at First Peak with extra juice that can either max out the potential of a one-foot dribbler or add a few feet -- and one heck of a barrel -- to a head-high nugget. Second Peak, Third Peak and OK Signs don't benefit from the jetty's wedge, but are almost as fun. In fact, sometimes those peaks break even better, especially on NE swells. Tides: Low but there are occasional periods when mid/higher tides are better depending on the sand Size: Waist-2' overhead Wind: SW/W but the jetty can block SE/S winds Swell: ENE-E Bottom: Sand Paddling: Easy for the most part - it breaks close to the beach. Currents can sometimes run strong through. Spot Rating: While 1st Peak is just a fraction of its former self, this is still one of the best waves on the East Coast when it's on. Good wind protection spot too, so there are more quality days here than others along the Space Coast.

Intermediate and up

$8 daily.

Fall-Spring, Hurricane

Crowd Factor: It gets crowded - this is a destination spot for surfers from all around the state, especially South Florida, West Florida and Orlando. Local Vibe: Humility and respect appeciated.

The intense crowds and weekend contests are awaiting the resurrection of the First Peak wedges. On a bigger swell, brilliant pointbreak style lefts and shorter rights can be ridden south of the inlet channel at rippy, localised and sharky Monster Hole. The Sebastian Inlet State Rec. Area provides large car park, toilets, showers, picnic area, boat ramp, beach cafe, etc. Hazards include sharks, man-o-war, rocks in the line-up near the jetty, aggressive fishermen on the jetty, and enough talented surfers alongside that jetty to make surfing here a real challenge.

Very clean but occasional dirty lagoon water can mix in on the outgoing tides especially after periods of heavy rainfall.

Lot of fish which attract sharks, but crowds cut your chances of being attacked. Although less of a problem, people fishing from the jetty can get aggressive with surfers at times.