Sports on the Space Coast

With over 70 miles of coastline, water sports play a dominant role and surfing is a favourite. Home to eleven-time ASP World Tour Champion, Kelly Slater, the beaches of the Canaveral National Seashore in the North, along centrally located Cocoa Beach to Sebastian Inlet in the South offer longboarding, shortboarding, windsurfing, kitesurfing and paddleboard surfing. Surf schools such as School of Surf in Cocoa Beach offer lessons for all ages and skill levels and have pupils up on the boards and riding waves up to the beach during the first hour. Visitors requiring the appropriate accessories or attire can kit-out at Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach, a world-renowned icon of surf and beach lifestyle. More experienced surfers can reference seven surf cam streams along the coast in search of ideal wave conditions.   

The intracoastal waterways, the Indian River Lagoon and Banana River offer visitors safe places to kayak and stand-up paddle board whilst enjoying the scenic waterways and wildlife. Stand-up paddling is the fastest growing sport in the USA and visitors can take lessons on flat water or venture into the ocean at Sobe Surf & Standup Paddle located on Merritt Island. Kayaking allows visitors to encounter the large populations of dolphins and manatees in the rivers, while inland lakes and creeks offer opportunities for eco-tours. During the summer months, the Space Coast is one of the few places in the world to see bioluminescence in the waters; the microorganisms in the water create a trail of blue-green glowing lights best experienced while kayaking after sunset.  

Back on land, the region offers over 20 golf courses including the Cocoa Beach Country Club which is open to guests and offers three nine-hole courses almost completely surrounded by the Banana River. Three additional golf courses in Brevard County include two par 72 championship courses – The Savannahs at Merritt Island and The Habitat at Valkariaand a par 67 course – Spessard Holland at Melbourne Beach.  Visitors wishing to attend sports events can look out for surfing events such as “Beach ´n Board Fest” in the spring, “Rich Salick Surf Festival” in the summer and running events such as Cocoa Beach Half Marathon and 10k in the autumn and the Space Coast Marathon and Half-Marathon in the winter. The USSSA Space Coast Complex in Viera is home to the USSSA Pride, a professional women´s softball team that plays in the National Pro Fastpitch with the season from running from June to August.