All the immediate beach areas of FL panhandle are pretty well maxed out, but if you go inland, you not only have more "country" type places, you also avoid the worst of hurricanes (FL panhandle has about the highest hurricane landfall potential possible in the eastern U.S., possibly only exceeded by outer banks of NC). Go on zillow and check out what you can find in those outer areas. If you don't mind higher density population, higher prices, and higher hurricane potential, there are plenty of coastal properties/towns to choose from. (I lived in San Diego a few years ago and loved it; but the weather was too perfect (and my wife wouldn't move there), and of course, I would never have been able to afford a house there. I rented a room not far from the beach, and got in more surfing in the 18 months I lived there than in the previous 30 years of living back east :) )
Good on you for the surfing ,, renting rooms is the way to go , I lucked out and bought long ago ,, the beach is where I need to be doesn't need to be on sand but a bikff Ed ride away os nice ,, what beach was your favorite yo surf ? Did u live in OB of PB area or NC ?
I lived just up Balboa, up the rise, and then the first major left (I'm forgetting the road), so I was about 15-20 minutes from Tourmaline Beach. I worked on Point Loma and surfed at "Garbage" a lot, about 25 minutes from where I rented. I would surf almost every Sunday, late afternoon (the beaches would be almost empty by then), and about every Friday late morning (I worked only half days on Friday), and I would occassionally go after work on other weekdays. I would surf north of the main crowd area at Tourmaline (it was like a little point break with the waves wrapping around and breaking on the rock shelf; when it was small, you would see the rocks and such under your board as you rode :) ). I liked "Garbage" a lot, because it was just a nice, long ride, and almost never more than a few people out. A lot of times, I would be the only person catching the outside break; the short boarders didn't like that mush :), I liked riding all the way to where the short boarders were and then having the last fast part of the ride :) I got the longest rides of my life out there, with many rides more that 300 yards! (based on Google Earth images of days with waves)
Garbage is awesome, yes long rides and outside breaks .. Tourmaline is a long board haven and with parking a real ease ! I m a chick and surfed those areas before girls out were popular ! Balboa ave is grest area ,, geeze we used to call clairmont squaremont , now to find a house in Claremont, wow million dollars for a tiny little dump. Not many Patriots in these parts anymore , very sad !
I grew up surfing in the Gulf of Mexico, where any ride longer than about 50 feet was long :) I got so spoiled surfing those 18 months, I got to the point where I didn't look forward to the "get the wetsuit and rinse water bottles in the car, put the board on the car, drive 20 minutes, walk to surf, surf, walk back, rinse off, put the board on the car, drive back 20 minutes, put the board away, rinse down the wetsuit, hang it out to dry" and then eat :)
I haven't been surfing since I left in 2017 and I'm tempted to take a week's vacation in San Diego just to surf :)
All the immediate beach areas of FL panhandle are pretty well maxed out, but if you go inland, you not only have more "country" type places, you also avoid the worst of hurricanes (FL panhandle has about the highest hurricane landfall potential possible in the eastern U.S., possibly only exceeded by outer banks of NC). Go on zillow and check out what you can find in those outer areas. If you don't mind higher density population, higher prices, and higher hurricane potential, there are plenty of coastal properties/towns to choose from. (I lived in San Diego a few years ago and loved it; but the weather was too perfect (and my wife wouldn't move there), and of course, I would never have been able to afford a house there. I rented a room not far from the beach, and got in more surfing in the 18 months I lived there than in the previous 30 years of living back east :) )
Good on you for the surfing ,, renting rooms is the way to go , I lucked out and bought long ago ,, the beach is where I need to be doesn't need to be on sand but a bikff Ed ride away os nice ,, what beach was your favorite yo surf ? Did u live in OB of PB area or NC ?
I lived just up Balboa, up the rise, and then the first major left (I'm forgetting the road), so I was about 15-20 minutes from Tourmaline Beach. I worked on Point Loma and surfed at "Garbage" a lot, about 25 minutes from where I rented. I would surf almost every Sunday, late afternoon (the beaches would be almost empty by then), and about every Friday late morning (I worked only half days on Friday), and I would occassionally go after work on other weekdays. I would surf north of the main crowd area at Tourmaline (it was like a little point break with the waves wrapping around and breaking on the rock shelf; when it was small, you would see the rocks and such under your board as you rode :) ). I liked "Garbage" a lot, because it was just a nice, long ride, and almost never more than a few people out. A lot of times, I would be the only person catching the outside break; the short boarders didn't like that mush :), I liked riding all the way to where the short boarders were and then having the last fast part of the ride :) I got the longest rides of my life out there, with many rides more that 300 yards! (based on Google Earth images of days with waves)
Garbage is awesome, yes long rides and outside breaks .. Tourmaline is a long board haven and with parking a real ease ! I m a chick and surfed those areas before girls out were popular ! Balboa ave is grest area ,, geeze we used to call clairmont squaremont , now to find a house in Claremont, wow million dollars for a tiny little dump. Not many Patriots in these parts anymore , very sad !
I grew up surfing in the Gulf of Mexico, where any ride longer than about 50 feet was long :) I got so spoiled surfing those 18 months, I got to the point where I didn't look forward to the "get the wetsuit and rinse water bottles in the car, put the board on the car, drive 20 minutes, walk to surf, surf, walk back, rinse off, put the board on the car, drive back 20 minutes, put the board away, rinse down the wetsuit, hang it out to dry" and then eat :)
I haven't been surfing since I left in 2017 and I'm tempted to take a week's vacation in San Diego just to surf :)