Playalinda / Florida (Northern) / United States

Cape Canaveral makes up the majority of Florida’s central coastline. These places provide some pretty intense waves, but unfortunately, most of it is restricted. Owned by America’s NASA program, this heavily guarded area takes some supreme undercover tactics just to stand on the miles of beach, and even then it won’t take long for you to get noticed. But then there’s Playalinda. Located beyond a wildlife refuge, this beach serves up some pretty intense waves, though not nearly as consistent as found in New Smyrna.

Playalinda is located on the north side of Cape Canaveral and parallel to the southern beaches. Essentially, this location has the same swell patterns as its southern neighbors, but what makes this beach so special is when the cape is hit with a north swell blowing in a southeast direction. The season begins in late November and lasts right up until May.

This swell movement creates overhead waves that barrel right onto the sandbars. When this happens, Playalinda becomes a feature spot, and several pro-surfing competitions have thus been hosted here. Unfortunately, this is rare, and most days you can expect only chest high waves.

Only an hour away from Orlando, you can get to Playalinda by taking exit 80 off of I-95. You’ll then be heading east on 406, where you can access places to eat, surf shops, and also hotel accommodations. Once you reach 402, that’s it on amenities – you’ll be on your own with nature from then on in. But, when you’re done surfing, you can check out the wildlife refuge or turn around to visit the Kennedy Space Center to learn about the organization that bars you from checking out the rest of Cape Canaveral.

No real point of caution –just be aware that a little further down the coastline is a nudist beach.