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Englewood, Florida

Winter Wakesurfing in Florida

Free wetsuits in every size, kids and adults. Heaters on the boat. January water sits near 66 degrees and the mornings are the flattest of the year.

Book a Winter Session
Free wetsuits
Every size
Kids and adult sizes
Heated boat

Winter is the season people get wrong

Everyone assumes wakesurfing here is a summer thing. It is the opposite. Summer on this coast means a sea breeze filling in by mid morning and a thunderstorm pattern that cuts trips short from June through September. Winter means still mornings, clean flat water on Lemon Bay, no crowds on the ramp, and skies you can see for miles.

The one genuine drawback is water temperature, and that is a solved problem.

Wetsuits, free, in your size

What you get

Toppers and spring suits in a full size run, kids through adults, free to use on any wakesurf charter or Saturday Session. A topper is a short sleeved neoprene top, enough to take the edge off a mild day. A spring suit has short arms and legs and covers your core, which is what most people want in January. Start in one, switch if you want. Nobody is standing on the swim platform talking themselves into it.

This is the single thing that stops people booking a winter trip, so Captain ET bought his way out of the problem rather than telling guests the water is warmer than it is.

What the water actually does

Gulf temperatures off Englewood, roughly, through the cooler half of the year:

Novembermid 70s
Decemberaround 70
Januaryaround 66
Februaryaround 66
Marcharound 70
Aprilmid 70s

After a strong cold front January can dip into the high 50s for a few days. That is the week a spring suit stops being optional. The rest of the time 66 degrees is bracing for about thirty seconds and then fine.

The heaters matter more than the wetsuits

Riding is not the cold part. You are working, and the water feels warmer than the air after the first set. The cold part is sitting on the boat afterwards, wet, with a breeze on you, waiting for your next turn.

The Heyday H22 has heaters aboard, and on a January morning that is the difference between everyone taking three turns and everyone deciding one was enough. It is an unglamorous feature that quietly saves the trip.

What it costs, same as any other month

2 Hours
$500
4 Hours
$900
6 Hours
$1,100
One seat
$149

Whole boat up to six guests, not per person. Nothing costs extra in winter and the wetsuits are not a rental. If you want a seat rather than the whole boat, that is a Saturday Session at $149, which runs right through the winter.

If you are down here for the season

A good portion of the people on this boat between December and March are snowbirds who surf or skate somewhere colder and are not about to let 66 degree water stop them. Some of them ride once a month all winter. If that is you, say so when you book and Captain ET will sort something out rather than treat every trip as a one off.

Staying on Manasota Key with a dock? He will collect you from it at no extra cost.

Questions people ask

On this coast, yes, and it is one of the better times to do it. Gulf water around Englewood averages about 66 degrees in January and February. Air temperatures are mild, the wind is usually lighter in the morning than it is in summer, and there is almost none of the afternoon thunderstorm pattern that shortens trips from June to September. The only thing standing between you and a winter session is being cold, which a wetsuit solves.
Around 66 degrees on average through both months. After a strong cold front it can drop into the high 50s for a few days, and by March it is climbing again. For reference, 66 degrees is bracing for about thirty seconds in a swimsuit and completely comfortable in a wetsuit.
No. Wetsuits are provided free in every size, toppers and spring suits, kids and adults, on any wakesurf charter or Saturday Session. Bring your own if you have one you like, otherwise Captain ET will find you one that fits before you get in.
A topper is a short sleeved neoprene top with no legs, which is plenty on a mild day when you just want to take the edge off. A spring suit has short arms and short legs and covers your core properly, which is what most people want in January. Both come in a full size run, so you can start in one and switch if you are too warm or too cold.
Yes. The Heyday H22 has onboard heaters, which matters more than people expect. Riding is not the cold part, sitting on the boat afterwards in a wet suit with a breeze on you is. Heat between sets is the difference between everyone having three turns and everyone having one.
It is arguably the best time. Lemon Bay is at its flattest in the winter mornings, there is less boat traffic churning the water, and a flat wave is far easier to learn on. Wear a spring suit and you will not notice the water temperature after your first set.
Yes. The wetsuits run in kids sizes as well as adults, which is the usual sticking point for families visiting in January. Everyone wears a vest regardless of the season.
Something warm and dry for before and after, and a towel. Mornings on the water in January are genuinely cool even when the afternoon turns out mild, so a hoodie and long trousers you can pull on over a wetsuit are worth having. Sunglasses and sunscreen still apply, the winter sun here is stronger than it feels.

The rest of it

Private wakesurf charters run any day of the week. Saturday Sessions are the single seat version. If you would rather stay dry, there is a dolphin and wildlife tour or a sunset cruise, both of which are excellent in winter for the same reason: flat water and clear air.

Pick a winter morning

Wetsuit sorted when you get there. Just turn up.

Book a Winter Session

Or call and text Captain ET on 941-883-1360