Hot Spots

Beginners:

Bird Island Basin - map
Long board mornings and short board afternoons. Good place to learn waterstarts. Located on Upper Padre Island National Seashore, this is one of the most popular windsurfing spots in the country.

Conditions: With shallow water (3-5 feet deep) which is flat to moderately choppy, Bird Island is a forgiving environment for any level of sailor.

Difficulty: Beginner and intermediate but can be a great place for learning at any level. For the advanced, the winds can be strong and water flat which makes for fast speeds and ripping jibes. Bird Island is a great place for learning waterstarts and planing jibes.

Wind/water: Any wind direction works here. A weed fin is needed from late spring through early fall. The bottom is sandy, but booties are recommended when sailing anywhere in the Laguna Madre to avoid cuts from oyster shells and other sharp objects on the bottom. Jellyfish are usually not a problem.

Parking/rigging: Parking is usually adequate with rigging on the dirt shoreline.

Camping: Primitive camping and restrooms are available at the site.

Directions: From Corpus Christi, take Highway 358 (SPID) over the JFK Causeway to Padre Island. The road changes to Park Road 22 South at the first stoplight on Padre Island. Keep going for another 12 miles. Once you pass the Padre Island National Seashore entrance station take the first right and follow the road to the water.

Fees: Usage fee for Bird Island Basin is $5/day or $10/year. For more information on the park, check out the Padre Island National Seashore Home Page.

North Beach (Corpus Christi Beach) - map
Long board with a nice sand beach. Located two miles north of downtown Corpus Christi on the other side of the Harbor Bridge. This site offers the longest sandy beach along the bay. Highlights include jibing under the stern of the USS Lexington battle ship permanently anchored there and sailing past tourists on the beach.

Wind/water: North Beach is sailable in N, NE, E, SE, and S winds. This spot attracts fewer sailors than Oleander Point, possibly because the wind tends to be more onshore and the shore break can make launching somewhat difficult. Also, the swells don't usually line up as cleanly here as they do at Oleander. When there is a big wind shadow near the shore at Oleander Point, North Beach is a good choice. Especially fun when the wind is directly onshore (E-SE wind direction). Also, when the wind is farther east than usual, its good here as you can sail exactly parallel to shore and rip up and down the beach. Please watch out for Swimmers on the shore break.

Difficulty: Intermediate to advanced

Hazards: A sandbar runs parallel to the beach about 20 yards from shore. At low tide you can hit your fin on it. At Surfside Park, remains of an old pier covered in barnacles near the water's edge are normally submerged, so watch out for those.

Parking/riggging: Park at the end of any of the several small roads that dead end at the beach. Rig on the sandy beach. Launch anywhere.

Intermediate:

Oleander Point at Cole Park - map
Learning jibes on flat water with some small chop when the wind picks up. Central Corpus Christi’s most popular launch, Oleander is a small grassy pull out in the south part of Cole Park where Oleander Street ends at Ocean Drive.

Difficulty: Intermediate to advanced. This is a great bump-and-jump spot. On a windy day, the bay is rough and for experienced sailors only. Solid jibing and deep water waterstarting skills are recommended. The launch is easy with waist to chest deep water for 75 to 100 yards out over a sandy bottom. After that, the depth is 6 feet or more.

Hazards: Jellyfish sometimes present.

Parking/rigging: Parking accommodates 30-40 cars with a large grassy rigging area and a short, steep walk down the bluff to the rocky beach.

Wind/water: Usually sailed with a SE wind, although is sailable in N, NE, E, and with a windline, in S winds. No facilities are at the site, but restrooms are available about half mile north in Cole Park.

Advanced:

Ropes Park - map
Jumping chop. Located about two miles south of Oleander Point along Ocean Drive, Ropes sometimes receives overflow when Oleander fills up. No facilities.

Difficulty: Intermediate to advanced. This is a good place to sail when the wind is from the south and creates a shadow at Oleander.

Wind/water: The sailing at Ropes excels in winds of 25+ mph (N, NE, E, SE, S) with excellent bump-and-jump conditions in waist-high chop.

Parking/rigging: Parking is very limited, but it's OK to park along the street. The rigging area is grassy with a short, steep walk down the bluff to the beach. The launch ranges from sandy to rocky with submerged reefs. Footwear is recommended.

Hazards: Riprap along the shore and some submerged rebar and other materials. Ask a local for exact locations.

Poenisch Park - map
Start of down winders. The park is located near the south end of Ocean Drive about a half mile north of Ennis Joslin Drive. No facilities.

Wind/water: Poenisch is a good spot for NW, N, NE, and E winds. It can be sailed in a SE wind, but a windline forms off the beach. The sailing conditions vary widely according to the wind direction. Poenisch goes off in NW to N to NE 30 knot cold front conditions and produces fun, waist-high chop. This is a good place to sail when the winds are too offshore at Port Aransas. The water is waist deep for approximately 50 to 75 yards out with a rocky launch and a grassy rigging area.

Parking/rigging: Parking is limited.

Port Aransas - map
Sailing in the waves. This spot is sailable in N and NE winds. Drive to the beach in Port Aransas. Locals usually put in about 300 yards north of Horace Caldwell Pier. If the surf is big, or you are a novice at surf sailing, it is best to start closer to the jetty where the surf is usually smaller. Wave height varies from knee high to overhead, averaging about chest high. This is a good place for the first time wave sailor since the waves break easy and broken masts are rare. There are restroom and shower facilities.

Resource: www.corpuschristiwindsurfing.com