Anna Maria Island Surfing

Kid’s Korner on Anna Maria Island – Top things to do

Welcome to Kid’s Korner, the best place to stop by & see the latest happenings for us kids on Anna Maria. Hey Anna Maria Island kids, do you have any fun activities planned for this summer while visiting Anna Maria Island? If not, I’ve got plenty of exciting things for you to do. With a diverse choice of activities always going on, summer on A.M.I. – Anna Maria Island Kid’s corner is never a bore.

So, let’s start with some fun summer lessons.

To begin, there is a surf camp run by Eternal Summer Surf Camp that occurs on White Avenue beach every Sunday from early July to the middle of August. Instructors will give instructions & demonstrations on how to surf & let you surf tons yourself.
Also, there are sailing lessons by Bimini Bay Sailing happening right now. They offer 6-hour teaching courses by experienced sailors. You can choose your boat that best fits you, & go out into the water as they teach you the basics on sailing. You’re sure to learn some new skills during this summer.

Next are the camps.

Anna Maria Island Community Center offers a youth & teen program called “Summer My Way” that involves sports, arts & crafts, field trips, specialty camps, & much, much more. You can pick & choose your activities & join many others as you enjoy your summer, your way. Find out about the specialty camps, or choose a camp. You could choose one week or every week, just a specialty camp, or just the field trips.
Also, Crosspointe Fellowship Baptist Church runs a Vacation Bible School for K-5^th graders for one week in the summer, July 16^th-20^th from 9 a.m. to noon. They plan to go on many adventures & uncover mysteries. Find out more at at www.CrosspointeFellowship.com. Your summer is sure to be a blast no matter which way you toss the dice.

Looking for something fun to play with? Here on Anna Maria Island, we have equipment rental shops. These rental stores have a great variety of merchandise – you can rent anything from golf carts to sail boats & everything in between.

For example, at Beach Bums on Pine Avenue, you can rent different types of bikes & boards, kayaks, golf carts, & more. My family & I have rented a golf cart previously, & they’re pretty cool. On Anna Maria Island, they let you drive your golf cart on the street, so it’s pretty awesome. But because they allow you to ride them on the street, your parents will be the ones doing the driving, while us kids get to ride in style. These golf carts vary in size, color, & designs, & you could have one for just 2 people, or one for you & your entire family. They offer the free use of helmets & life jackets with rental. Their bike types include regular two-wheelers, quad-bikes, cruisers, tricycles, tandems, electric & surrey bikes, along with bike seats for babies & toddlers. They have nature hikes & other kids activities you’re sure to love, as well.
What’s more, Bimini Bay Sailing offers rental sailboats for a small fee. You can choose your sailboat & how long you wish to rent it. They offer Sunfish, Lasers, Zumi, & everything in between. They go from an hour to a month, & delivery is optional. More facts can be found on the same site as their sailing lessons. These rentals are a unique way to get around the island.

So no matter what you do or when you do it, at Anna Maria Island Kid’s corner it’s certain you’ll have a great summer here on Anna Maria Island.

Eternal Summer Surf Camp On Anna Maria Island

Learn to surf this summer on AMI

Do your children want to learn how to surf? Picture this; you relax on the beaches of Anna Maria Island as your children attend the free surf camp during your Anna Maria Island Vacation.
The Eternal Summer Surf Camp (ESSC) has been teaching children how to surf on Anna Maria Island since 2008. By their third year, they had over 300 kids sign up, and it’s now one of the largest surf camps IN THE WORLD!
Now, there are over 2,000 young attendees every summer.

But it’s not all about surfing to the ESSC, God also plays a huge role in their lessons. The Eternal Summer Surf Camp was founded by a few surfers who saw an opportunity to make Christ Relevant to kids through the instruction of surfing. Their “about” section on their website even states,

“Eternal Summer Surf Camp was started by a few surfers in Bradenton, Florida who saw an opportunity to use surfing as way of reaching kids for the Kingdom of God.”

Eternal Summer Surf Camp is a non-profit Christian surf camp that is free to kids, and operates solely on donations from generous people and organizations.

The camp typically starts the first Sunday of July, and is held every Sunday for 6 weeks. It’s two hours long, and they only require your child brings water and sunscreen. The boards will be provided.

When: Every Sunday beginning the first sunday of july for 6 CONSECUTIVE weeks
Where: the beach off of White Avenue on the north end of Anna Maria Island.
Time: 2pm – 4pm
Price: free
Parking: Parking is located in the parking lot at Crosspoint Church, directly across Gulf Drive from White Ave. You can also park in the dirt parking lot on the west side of Gulf drive and White Ave.

Anna Maria Island Stormy Surfing

Most of us don’t look forward to late summer because with the heat comes major storms. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief when a hurricane misses Anna Maria Island. Surfers really look forward to near misses and travel hundreds of miles to find high surf on the Gulf Coast. High tide as well as hurricane Gustav and Ike created fabulous surfing conditions the last few weeks on Anna Maria Island. The entire island was overrun with surfers. Every beach access point was packed with cars filled with anxious surfers. Watching surfers make it to the beach to see the surf for the first time was like seeing a child on Christmas morning. I didn’t need to see smiles on the surfers faces, I could see they were smiling from the glimmer in their eyes.

Firstly, I have NEVER seen the beach as crowded as it was Sunday and secondly on a cloudy stormy day. It was a site to be seen that I wish all visitors to Anna Maria Island could have witnessed. I took many photos and I hope that these help bridge the gap for everyone to feel the awe inspiring energy that was present. It was amazing! Most of us hunker down as a storm’s arm reaches out to give us stormy weather. I think surfers of Florida showed the Anna Maria Island residents and visitors why rainbows come out on a rainy day! Who would have known such a treasured experience could be found on a stormy day?

View the video below and turn up the sound if you hear nothing.

Want your children to learn how to surf? Be sure to check out the video of the Children Surfing classes, wow!

Advanced Surfing information for Anna Maria City

I would love for everyone to think I am a cool surfer dude and all this advanced information came from my vast knowledge of surfing. Unfortunately, I have to give credit to a surfer web site that gives more details on the characteristics of surfing just off White avenue in Anna Maria City. WannaSurf.com…yup, the surfing on Anna Maria is a big enough deal to get discussed on surfing websites. The website discusses surf and wave quality, tide, swell and wind characteristics, as well as any dangers. The web site tells you the name of the contributor as well as (4) other individuals that added information and actually surfed Anna Maria Island. Take a look, if this website does not give you the information needed, then you will just have to come to the island to experience it yourself… Also, if you are looking to get your children involved then visit our Anna Maria Island Children surfing camp.

Anna Maria Island surfing and wake boarding are popular pass time for locals and visitors alike.

Anna Maria Island Surfing Spots

Locals know the best surfing is off of the White Avenue beach access in the city of Anna Maria. The floor of the Gulf of Mexico offers very favorable surfing conditions. The surf isn’t world class, but on rough days all levels of surfers can be found on the beach. White Avenue becomes a hub of activity for Anna Maria. White Avenue does have some public parking. Find spots about 4-6 minutes walking distance from the access.

Additionally you can find great surfing in Bradenton Beach. Head to the area known as three piers just north of Coquina beach. Here you’ll find a few surfing quality waves.

Additionally, If your timing is really good you may get lucky enough to take part in a children’s surfing class. I have attached pictures of a surfing class that took part on White Avenue’s beach after about 2 straight days of above average surf in late July. Of course wake boarding can be good fun for all ages regardless of how high the surf is.

If you are an experienced surfer this link should help a bit more….