How To Surf Lido Key, FL

• 1). Locating surf along Florida's Gulf Coast can be a laborious task. Often, during the summer months, the flat spell can seem to last forever. Follow swell patterns on www.surfline.com or www.wavewatch.com for opportunities at Lido Key.
  
  
• 2
  
  
  After locating surf along the Key, park west of St. Armands on Garfield Drive, wax your board, attach your leash, and prepare to enter the water. Paddle out past the sandbar.
  
  
• 3). Straddle your board behind the sandbar while waiting for waves -- this is where the waves will break. As a set approaches, begin paddling. Once you feel the wave beneath you, quickly stand up. Waves on Lido Key can be fickle and are typically in the 1- to 3-foot range. On those days when waves reach 4 to 6 feet, paddling into a wave can allow for barrels and longer rides.
  
  
• 4). After riding the wave to its dissipation, or wiping out, paddle back to the sandbar and set up for the next wave; or during lulls, the next set. Depending on the current and tide, paddling out may be more exhausting than walking out.
  
  
• 5). As set waves approach, paddle into the base and ride the face north. Lido Key hosts a right -- a wave that breaks to the right to the surfer, to the left for those on the beach. Low-pressure systems produce excellent waves in this region, typically during a flattened summer season.