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Beach Activities
Below we've listed some great Beach activities for young & old.

Body Boarding or BoogieBoarding

Bodyboarding
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Is an instrument of wave riding consisting of a small roughly rectangular piece of foam, shaped to a hydrodynamic form. The bodyboard is ridden predominantly lying down, (or 'prone'). It can also be ridden in a half-standing stance (known as 'dropknee') or can even be ridden standing up. The vast majority of bodyboarders usually wear swimfins on both feet to aid in paddling out and taking off.

Technique:
Taken from About.com
Hold on to the bodyboard with one hand on the top rail and the elbow resting on the deck. The other hand should hold the bodyboard about 1/3 of the way down with the elbow up at a 50 degree angel, to have the leverage to hold the rail of the board in the wave. Head and chest should be up off the board, and a huge smile should be on your face. When catching a wave it is important to kick with your fins while pushing the front of the board down the face of the wave. As soon as you feel the wave moving you forward turn the board towards the shoulder of the wave (a way from the breaking part, good waves peel of cleanly left or right with a smooth face for you to ride) take your hand that is on the outside or closet to the beach move it 1/3 of the way down the board as described about and pull up on the rail to turn the board and keep the edge from sliding out, remembering to keep the head and chest up and smile for the camera.

For more BoogieBoarding basics visit...
BBC.COO.UK
Basic Technique
Manuvers

Online Bodyboard Supplies...
ebodyboarding.com

Crabbing

Crabbing at the beach can be alot of fun for the whole family. Plus you might not have to pay for dinner either. We've listed some helpful tips & links for a better crabbing experience.

Crabbing Info @ BlueCrab.org
Hard Shell Crabbing Basics
Soft Shell Crabbing basics

How to Clean a Crab
1.Remove the two large pincer claws by breaking them off at the body. Set the claws aside for cracking and removing the meat later
2. Hold the crab in one hand and lift up on one point to remove the top shell.
3. Cut off the "face" of the crab where it joins the lower shell and remove the internal organs by scraping them out with a knife. It is not necessary to wash the crab at the point.
4. Make a straight cut from the back of the crab, just above the leg joints. This cut is important; be sure to make it deep enough. Repeat the process for the other side of the crab. Set the two pieces removed aside.
5. Cut off (do not pull off) the remaining legs where they join the body. It is advisable to keep the thumb pressed securely over the backfin meat when making these cuts. Note where the flat, paddle-shaped swim fin or backfin is attached to the body
6. Locate the large chunk of white muscle on either side of the body of the crab (the "backfin" or "lump" meat) and remove it with the knife. (This muscle is located where the backfin was attached.)
7. The rest of the white meat in the body of the crab is located in the chambers separated by thin walls of cartilage. Remove the meat from the chambers by sliding the knife under and lifting it out. This meat is called the "flake" or regular meat
8. Remove the meat from the two pieces cut off the top of the crab in step 4. There will be one chunk of white muscle (the top of the backfin muscle) that comes off easily, revealing a piece of cartilage. Make a diagonal cut just under this piece of cartilage and remove the rest of the meat from the chambers.
9. Tap the claw just below the pincher to make a straight, clean cut in the shell. Gently break the claw open and remove the meat with your knife. Repeat the procedure for the other claw.

Need a little more help...
Visit RockPool.com for more info on cleaning Crabs.

Dolphin Watch

For the best in Dolphin Watching...Visit that beaches welcome center to find discounts on Dolphin excursions. Oh, and don't forget your Binoculars.

Fly a Kite

First and foremost, if your gonna fly a kite, don't forget your sunglasses.

Here are a few websites that are great for Kite Flying basics.
A Wind Of Change
The Drachen Foundation (Non-Profit)
eHow

Want to make your own Kite? Check out these websites.
Make your own Kite (2 different kite options)
ehow...create a Kite

Jet Ski , Wave Runners or PWC's

A personal water craft (PWC)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Is a sea scooter, is a recreational watercraft that the rider sits or stands on, rather than inside of, as in a boat. Models have an inboard engine driving a pump jet that has a screw-shaped impeller to create thrust for propulsion and steering. They are often referred by the names WaveRunner, Jet Ski, or Sea-Doo, which are brand names owned by Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Bombardier, respectively.
Waverunner
WaveRunner is a brand name for Yamaha Motor Corporation's popular line of personal water craft (PWC).
Wave runner is also sometimes used as a genericized trademark for any type of sit-down PWC.
Jet Ski
Jet-Ski is the brand name of personal watercraft (PWC) manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.. The name, however, has become a genericized trademark for any type of personal watercraft. Jet ski (or jetski) can also specifically refer to versions of PWCs with pivoting handlepoles known as "stand-ups".

Kayaking

kayak
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Is a small human-powered boat. It typically has a covered deck, and a cockpit covered by a spraydeck. It is propelled by a double-bladed paddle by a sitting paddler. Kayaks typically accommodate one, two or occasionally three paddlers who sit facing forward in one or more cockpits below the deck of the boat. The spray skirt or similar waterproof garment attaches securely to the edges of the cockpit, preventing the entry of water from waves or spray, and making it possible in most styles of boat, to roll the kayak upright again without it filling with water or ejecting the paddler.

For more on the Basics of Kayaking visit...
Ocean Kayak
Sea Kayak

Kite Boarding or Kite Surfing

Kite Surfing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Is also known as kite Boarding, Fly Surfing and kiteboarding involves using a power kite to pull the rider through the water on a small surfboard, a wakeboard, or a kiteboard.

Related Kite Surfing websites...
IKO
IKO, the International Kiteboarding Organization, is an independent and international organization founded in November 2001 in order to promote kiteboarding worldwide. Through the development of a professional network of affiliated kiteboarding centers and trained instructors and examiners, IKO provides a high quality level of teaching, with standards that are recognized and applied worldwide.

For answers to Kite Surfing questions visit...
Blowing In the Wind
Traqua

For Kite Surfing suppilies visit...
Big Winds
Established in 1987, we are one of the largest windsurfing and kiteboarding product and accessory stores in the United States. Our expert staff members are experienced windsurfers and/or kiteboarders who are passionate about these sports.
Kiteboarding.com
The Original Online Kiteboard Store for Outstanding Prices & Service

Kite Boarding Schools & Camps
REALKiteboarding
Outside Magazine rates REAL kiteboarding among the "Top Ten Adventure Camps in the World"
REAL kiteboarding is North America’s only 100% dedicated kiteboarding center. REAL is located in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, internationally recognized as the best place to kiteboard in the world.
ikiteboarding.com
Online Kite Boarding Magazine w/ a great KiteSurfing lessons database.

Snorkeling & Scuba Diving

Snorkeling
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Is the practice of swimming at the surface of a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, a wetsuit may also be worn. Combining these tools allows the snorkeler to observe underwater attractions for extended periods of time with relatively little effort.
Scuba diving
Is the term used to describe the use of a self-contained breathing set to stay underwater for periods of time greater than the average individual can breath-hold. The diver carries all equipment necessary for diving and is not reliant upon equipment elsewhere (e.g. on the surface) to supply breathing gas or other support during the dive. The diver swims underwater using fins attached to the feet. Some divers also move around with the assistance of a DPV (Diver Propulsion Vehicle), commonly referred to as a "scooter", or by using surface-tethered devices called sleds, which are pulled by a boat.
The word 'SCUBA' is an acronym for "Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", but it has become acceptable to refer to 'scuba equipment' or 'scuba apparatus'. The term SCUBA in common usage usually means open-circuit equipment in which gas (usually air) is breathed from a tank of compressed gas and then exhaled into the water, usually in the line of kit development started by Emile Gagnan and Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

Snorkeling Basics
Snorkeling for Beginners

Great guide to killer Snorkeling Spots
Cruise Reviews

Collecting Seashells

Always was & always will be the #1 beaching activity. All you need is a bucket or a bag & your ready to hunt for seashells. Also remember that you could hunt for Sharks teeth as well. Shell collecting goes hand and hand with some of the beach games listed @ the bottom of the page.

Want to know what kind of shells you've collected?
2 great Seashell Identification Guides...
Seashell Collector.com
Seashell Indentification Guide

Don't forget about Sharks teeth.
Venice FL. beaches are home to a ton of sharks teeth & take it from us we've been there and found over 2 dozen in one day.
Which is why we've selected the link below for Sharks teeth descriptions...
Sharks Teeth Description

Surfing

Surfing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Is a surface water sport in which the participant is carried by a breaking wave on a surfboard. There are various kinds of surfing, based on the different methods or surf craft used to ride a wave. The basic categories include regular stand-up surfing, kneeboarding, bodyboarding, surf-skiing and bodysurfing. Further sub-divisions reflect differences in surfboard design, such as long-boards and short-boards.

Find the right board for you...
RadiantImages.net & for a visual of that board click here.

Listed below are 2 great websites for Beginners.
Chiff.com
How to surf for beginners.
Surfing Waves
Beginner guide to surfing

There's a ton of online Surf Shops check'em out...
BeckerSurf
Ron Jon Surf Shop
Surf Warehouse
SurfWearHawaii
Huntington Surf & Sport
Killer Dana Surf Shop
Surf Buys
Santa Cruz Surf Shop
Internet Surf Shop
Surf Ride

*Hey Hey...That's not all. Add a sail and you'll be Wind Surfing.
Windsurfing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Is a surface water sport using a windsurf board, also commonly called a sailboard, usually two to five meters long and powered by a single sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating flexible joint called the Universal Joint (U-Joint). The sport could be considered a hybrid between sailing and surfing. Windsurfers can travel over flat, calm water as long as there is enough wind; they can also cut into breaking waves and perform spectacular stunts.

Surf Fishing

If you don't have a boat, and you want to be exposed to the possibility of some really large fish, try surf fishing.

Don't know what Surf Fishing is... that's ok, here's some helpful links to point you in the right direction.
About.com
Catfished.com
Fish Resource.com
Peir & Surf.com Answers to all your Fishing questions.

Volleyball

What can I say, just grab a few friends and a volleyball and your good to go...yes you need to have a volleyball net.

FREE Games for the Whole Family

BOWLING on the BEACH
Make 10 pins by filling a cup with moist sand (add water if the sand is too dry to hold a shape). Carefully turn the cup over and lift it off. Create the pins in a triangle with one pin in front, two pins in the next row, three in the next, and four in the back row.
Draw a line in the sand about 6 or 8 feet from the pins. Take turns standing behind the line and rolling a softball or other small ball toward the pins to knock them over. Each player gets to roll the ball twice. Count how many pins you knock over, set them up again and keep score in the sand.
SAND-TAC-TOE
Make a nine-square grid in the sand and draw the X's and O's with driftwood. If you have enough people, make teams and ask human markers to sit in the squares.
HOPSCOTCH in the SAND
To give this a seaside flavor, each player can scavenge a beach-related marker to toss: a clamshell, a plastic shovel or a colorful flip-flop.
BEACH DARTS
Draw a dartboard with six concentric circles and give each ring a point value. Each player should choose three markers that look the same (three clamshells, three seashells). Take turns tossing the markers at the dartboard and keep score in the sand.
SCAVANGER HUNT
Have a scavenger hunt. Make up a list of things you can find on a beach, shells, rocks, seaweed, horseshoe crabs, use your imagination, and see who's the fastest at finding everything on their list.