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Florida · Cocoa Beach / Space Coast · Brevard County · Cocoa Beach

520 Slick

also known as 520 Boat Ramp, Bicentennial Memorial Park, Constitution Bicentennial Park

advanced onlyhigh crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

Wind
- Month by month
Forecast
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Rescue
Hazards
Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Nearby Jetty Park 7 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Decthe months riders and schools name How windy8-11 ktmixed LaunchTechnical mangrove/water launch beside boat-ramp parking with limited staging space; do not launch from the grass.access rules on record, below Waterriver29°C in summer · 18 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools3named at this spot From the airport50 minInternational Airport (MCO)

When it fills in

Reportedly it starts cranking around 11; unconfirmed against the local school pages.

520 Slick is the flatwater on the Banana River Lagoon just south of the SR 520 Causeway, and the causeway is the whole reason it works: on north wind it blocks the chop and the lagoon goes glassy. That same north wind is offshore from the launch.

You rig on the grass by the Cocoa Beach welcome sign, walk through a gap in the mangroves west of the public boat ramp and get the kite up off the water, because launching from the grass is not allowed. The bottom is shallow outside the marked boat channels and drops away in and past the markers.

Schools teach here with a boat behind them; without one this is no beginner beach, and you should not ride further out than you are willing to swim back.

Season runs roughly October to May on cold fronts and spring trades, with April and May the most reliable of it, while summer goes light and thundery with more southeast in it. Access is the open question.

Bicentennial Park reopened in 2026 after the improvement work, but a kite closure notice from 2025 has never been confirmed as lifted, so check before you drive out.

The wind

Direction

wind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Kite sizes

678910111213141516

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

mixed

fills in: Reportedly it starts cranking around 11; unconfirmed against the local school pages.

Typical strength

Monthly average wind speeds run 8-11 kt; winter cold fronts and spring trades are the reliable kiteable periods.

Best on north wind for glassy flat water; wind near mangroves can be gusty and the launch is technical.

The season opens around October with the first cold fronts and runs through May. April and May are the most reliable stretch, when late fronts overlap with the spring trades. Summer goes lighter, leans southeast and thermal, and brings thunderstorms.

Thermal or synoptic

frontal and sea breeze

Also on record

8-11 kt monthly averages in local wind statistics

The quiver, in words

For a 75-85 kg rider, 11-13 m is the everyday quiver here and a 12 m is the single kite most riders reach for; 14 m or a foil on the light days, which is most of them given monthly averages of 8-11 kt; 9-10 m when a cold front pushes it past 25 mph.Indicative sizing worked from a regional shop chart against the local wind statistics, not a spot measurement.

Direction to shore

North wind is offshore from the launch and creates the flattest water; south wind pushes toward the SR 520 causeway and is specifically warned against; east/west components vary from cross-shore to gusty depending on exact angle.

Dominant direction

N, NW, NE, SE, W

Forecast

Month by month

Jan, riders' month51
Feb, riders' month55
Mar, riders' month63
Apr, riders' month67
May, riders' month49
Jun39
Jul15
Aug33
Sep19
Oct, riders' month43
Nov, riders' month49
Dec, riders' month40

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec.

11Jan20°
12Feb20°
12Mar22°
13Apr24°
11May27°
10Jun29°
9Jul30°
10Aug30°
9Sep30°
11Oct27°
12Nov24°
11Dec21°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	51%	11.3 kt	WNW	17.2°C	19.6°C
Feb	55%	11.6 kt	SE	18.9°C	19.7°C
Mar	63%	12.2 kt	SSE	21.4°C	21.9°C
Apr	67%	12.8 kt	SE	22.6°C	23.9°C
May	49%	11.1 kt	SE	25.2°C	26.5°C
Jun	39%	10.4 kt	SW	26.6°C	28.5°C
Jul	15%	9 kt	SSE	27.8°C	29.6°C
Aug	33%	10 kt	SSW	27.8°C	29.6°C
Sep	19%	9.4 kt	E	26.4°C	29.8°C
Oct	43%	11.2 kt	NE	24°C	26.5°C
Nov	49%	11.6 kt	NNW	21.9°C	23.8°C
Dec	40%	10.5 kt	NNW	18.2°C	20.7°C

modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

river

Standing depth

Roughly 2-5 feet over most of the riding area on a sandy bottom, so you can stand across the flats. It goes deep in the marked boat channels and between the large wooden channel markers.

Tides

There is a tide station close by and the spot rides as tide independent. Nobody has published whether the tide meaningfully changes depth or the launch.

Temperature

29°C summer · 21°C winter

Wetsuit

Shorts are typical in spring, summer and fall; shorty or full wetsuit is used in winter, especially December-March during cold fronts.

20–30°C water

Banana River Lagoon flatwater south of the SR 520 Causeway. On north wind the causeway and the mangroves block the chop and the water goes slick, but that same wind blows offshore from the launch.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

Lessons run here with boat support behind them. Riding it unsupported wants intermediate to advanced skills: the launch is technical, north wind is offshore, and a self-rescue can turn into a long swim.

The scene

What riders come here for

flatwaterfreestylelessons with boat supportkite foil

Cocoa Beach's busiest flatwater spot, with schools working it for years and not much room to lay out a kite.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

3 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: Technical mangrove/water launch beside boat-ramp parking with limited staging space; do not launch from the grass.

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Jetty Park, 7 km

Jetty Park

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

No public kite rescue. Lessons run with watercraft support behind them; alone, self-rescue is the plan and north wind is offshore, so ride no further out than you are willing to swim back. Lifeguard cover does not exist on this side of the causeway.

Launch

Set up on the grassy area by the Cocoa Beach welcome sign and walk through a mangrove opening west of the public boat ramp. Drift launch: getting the kite up upwind of the mangroves is hit or miss, so launch and land off the water rather than the grass.

Space

Technical mangrove/water launch beside boat-ramp parking with limited staging space; do not launch from the grass.

Rules & access

2026: park in the boat-ramp spaces, not on the grass, because parking enforcement tickets vehicles parked there. Use the grassy area for setup only, and launch and land off the water. The park closed on 10 March 2025 for construction and reopened as Constitution Bicentennial Park at a grand reopening on 13 July 2026, with the boat ramp, parking and public amenities rebuilt; the city lists it as a 1-acre roadside park with boat launch facilities, a fishing dock and restrooms at 801 W Cocoa Beach Causeway, so the 2025 notice was a construction closure and not a kite ban. No kiteboarding-specific city rule has ever been published for the site.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Rider tips

Launch and land off the water, never from the grass, and park in the boat-ramp spaces.
On north wind stay inside the channel markers and no further out than you can swim back.
Wear booties: the bottom holds sharp objects, and stingrays sit on it.
Aim for the day after a cold front from October to May; summer here is light and thundery.
Check park access before you commit to the drive, because the 2025 closure notice and the 2026 reopening have never been reconciled.
The 2025 closure was construction. The park reopened in July 2026 with the ramp and parking rebuilt, so the drive is worth making again.
Drift launch. Trying to get the kite up upwind of the mangroves is a coin toss.
Bring the big kite. Monthly averages here are 8-11 kt and the strong days are the exception.

Getting there

Airport

Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Melbourne Orlando International Airport (MLB) are the main airport options for Cocoa Beach.

Route

Drive to Cocoa Beach on SR 520; the spot is on the Banana River side of the causeway near Cape Canaveral Hospital and the Cocoa Beach welcome sign.

Transfer

50 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Cocoa Beach, Cape Canaveral or Merritt Island put you minutes from the ramp; Orlando is cheaper and adds the drive.

No-wind days

Surf on the ocean side of Cocoa Beach, Kennedy Space Center, kayaking the Banana River and the Thousand Islands, fishing, Port Canaveral.

Photos

Cocoa Beach sunrise - panoramio (3) — jesseasmith, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

Is 520 Slick suitable for beginners?

Unsupported beginners should avoid it; the launch is technical and self-rescue may involve a long swim, though lessons with watercraft support use the same area.

What is the wind like?

North wind creates the flattest water by blocking chop from the causeway, though it is offshore from the launch; monthly averages run 8-11 knots with winter cold fronts and spring trades most reliable.

When is the best time to kite?

The season runs roughly October through May, with April-May especially reliable as late cold fronts combine with spring trades.

What hazards should riders know about?

Mangroves, a technical water launch, deep water near boat channel markers, and stingrays or manatees are all reported hazards.

Are there rules or restricted zones?

Riders must park only in boat-ramp spaces and launch/land from the water, not the grass; check current access since nearby Bicentennial Park construction has affected the area.

Last updated: August 2026