Inlet Beach Pier Surf Guide

Surf spot guide

Ideal Surf Conditions

Swell Direction

SE, S, SSW

Wind

N, NE, ENE

Surf Height

Waist-overhead

Tide

Low going high

Inlet Beach Pier Surf Guide

The Inlet Beach Pier used to be off limits because it was some corporation's summer camp. They chased surfers off the beach for years, until the State of Florida recently purchased it, making it Camp Helen State Park. Unfortunately, you cannot drive into the park, but the pier can be accessed now from the community west of the pier.

The pier is at a coastal lake outflow, like Grayton Beach, making for a great sandbar, good waves most of the year and zero crowds. There are downsides to all of this, though: it's hard to find, hard to check and extremely hard to park. This spot is located off Highway 98, just after C30-A joins back up with 98 at the Tom Thumb food store. Take the first right after the Tom Thumb food store, and continue to the end of the road. Take a left and follow the roads along the beach until you reach the end of the beach homes. There's a four-story townhouse development where you park. Walk 10 minutes east, down the beach and to the pier.

Ability Level

All Abilities

BegIntAdv

All levels

Local Vibe

Welcoming

WelcomingIntimidating

Mellow.

Crowd Factor

Mellow

MellowHeavy

None to speak of.

Spot Rating

Poor

PoorPerfect

Pretty average spot overall. No one is driving here solely to surf this spot.

Shoulder Burn

Medium

LightExhausting

Easy on small days, tougher paddle on larger swells.

Water Quality

Clean

CleanDirty

This is the emerald coast, so named due to the water color.

Hazards

Getting your car towed in the summer.

Bring Your

Shortboard, Fish, Funboard, Longboard

Access

Park at Camp Helen and take trail to beach.

Bottom

Sand

Best Season

Fall-Spring, Hurricane

Do you have local knowledge about Inlet Beach Pier?

If you have any insights or information to add to this spot guide, drop us a note at [email protected]