Dunedin Causeway & Fred Howard Park

Dunedin CausewayFred Howard Park

1. Dunedin Causeway

   sound

   Dunedin Causeway is a St.

   intermediateadvanced

   In seasonOct to May

   The model here carries the month's average wind rather than a count of windy days: it reaches 12.5 kt in April, the strongest month it models for this spot.

   Dunedin Causeway: the long version, the launch and the rules

   More on Dunedin Causeway

   Joseph Sound spot that runs flat to choppy depending on how hard it blows, and only the south side counts. Riders launch near the sailboat-rental area; the north side is not a kite spot. The water is shallow, but the current on a tide change gets strong enough to sweep a dropped kite out or across the bay, which is the thing to plan around here. Power lines run beside the road and the road sits close to the launch, so it is not the clean beginner beach it sometimes gets called. Tampa Bay wind is cold fronts and sea breezes: the windy season runs late September through June, with the best odds in October-November and March-May, and summer goes light and thundery. Causeway recreational hours are 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. (2026), with no alcohol, camping or ground fires, and no kiteboarding rule of its own.

   Getting on the water

   A small beach of mixed sand and grass on the south side, by the sailboat and kayak rental at the grill. Parking sits right at the launch, restrooms and the concession are on the western portion before the second bridge, and the grass gives you somewhere to rig and pack down. The north side is not a riding area.

   If it goes wrong

   No dedicated kite rescue and no published number. The water is shallow enough to walk in from in places, but on a tide change the current beats the depth and a dropped kite goes down the sound. Ride with someone who can come after it.

   Room to rig

   Small beach with a grassy rigging strip behind it; room varies by pull-off. The road and the power lines are close, so the usable window is narrower than the beach looks.

   Rules and access

   2026: causeway recreational hours are 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.; alcohol, camping and ground fires are prohibited; dogs are not allowed on the beaches and are leashed on the Pinellas Trail only. Watercraft launch in the designated zones only, the centre section between the launch areas is closed to them, and boat launching is not allowed north of the causeway west of the drawbridge. Daytime parking along the access areas is free; an overnight permit costs $10 for two days or $100 a year (2026), and gear cannot be left more than two days in any seven. There is no kiteboarding rule of its own. Ride the south side.

   Everything on Dunedin Causeway

2. Fred Howard Park

   sound

   Fred Howard Park sits on St.

   intermediateadvanced

   In seasonOct to May

   The model here carries the month's average wind rather than a count of windy days: it reaches 12.6 kt in April, the strongest month it models for this spot.

   Fred Howard Park: the long version, the launch and the rules

   More on Fred Howard Park

   Joseph Sound at Tarpon Springs, and the kite area is not the beach everyone else uses. Kiters launch from the two small beaches beside the causeway road; the main swimming beach is off limits, and so is flying anything over the road. The water goes smooth and flat along the causeway and the island, which is why the freestyle and foil crowd bother with a launch this small. It is shallow for a narrow strip only. One jump or a short swim out and you are over deeper seagrass bottom where you swim back rather than walk, and at high tide the beach itself shrinks. Accounts disagree about how shallow it really is, and the stricter reading is the one to ride by: hold upwind, self-rescue, and do not go out alone, because there is no rescue here. The best stretch is October-April, with thermal wind December-May, north and south the clean directions and north the stronger and colder. Parking is $6 a day (2026) and the park runs 7:00 a.m. to sunset.

   Getting on the water

   Two small beaches beside the causeway road, reached by a short walk down a small hill from the parking, with grass behind them to rig on. The main swimming beach and the water straight west of it are off limits to kites. Roughly half the island is parking, and there are restrooms and beach showers.

   If it goes wrong

   No kite rescue here. You are past standing depth after one short swim and the tidal current pushes, so self-rescue and a decent swim are the plan. Do not ride alone.

   Room to rig

   Small, and the size moves with the tide: high water takes most of it. Grassy rigging area behind the sand, with the road, the parking and the beachgoers all close.

   Rules and access

   2026: the park is open 7:00 a.m. to sunset and beach parking is $6 a day (2026), pay-by-plate at automated stations, with annual passes available. There is a designated wind surfing area, separate swim areas and a canoe/kayak launch. Kiting belongs on the two small beaches beside the road, not on the main beach and not in the water straight west of it. Never fly a kite over the road, keep off the upwind side of other users, and give swimmers the whole swim area.

   Everything on Fred Howard Park

• St. Pete-Clearwater International (PIE) closest
• Tampa International (TPA)

Kite bag rules for your airline

Type the carrier you are flying: what it charges for a kite bag, and the year of the policy that says so.

Known for USA:Southwest AirlinesDelta / American / United

Every carrier, with limits and what riders report at the counter →

1. Dunedin looks like an easy shallow flatwater spot, but the north side is treated as a no-go because power lines, road and guardrail sit downwind of mistakes.

   consensus×5 riders

2. The wind-direction rule is stricter than the map suggests: south, southeast and southwest are the clean Dunedin calls; north or too much west turns ugly fast.

   majority×4 riders

3. Tide current is the hidden hazard at Dunedin; shallow water helps until a dropped kite starts getting pulled across the bay or out toward deeper water.

   majority×3 riders

4. Dunedin launch space can vanish into normal beach chaos; people, cars and beach chairs may be where a rider expected to land an hour later.

   majority×3 riders

5. Fred Howard gets praised for shallow flat Gulf water, but the beach is small enough that self-sufficient upwind riding matters more than brochures imply.

   contested×4 riders

• Dunedin was named after Edinburgh by Scottish settlers J.O. Douglas and James Somerville; it incorporated as a town in 1899.
• Tarpon Springs' sponge-diving industry dates to 1905, when John Cocoris introduced Greek diving techniques that turned the town into a Greek-American maritime hub.

What we could not settle. Ride here? These are the gaps worth filling.

• Is 'Dunedin Causeway & Fred Howard Park' the name riders actually use for this area?
• Is there a webcam or a live wind station at Dunedin Causeway or Fred Howard Park?
• No sourced information on where-to-stay pricing or specific hotel/rental recommendations.