520 Slick
The flattest water in Central Florida, and the reason people drive over from Orlando.
At a glance
| Also known as | Bicentennial Memorial Park, SR 520 Causeway |
|---|---|
| Best wind | N, NNW, NW, W — offshore off the causeway, mirror‑flat |
| Also works | NE (gustiest near the launch), SW |
| Avoid | Straight S — pushes you toward the causeway and traffic |
| Water | Shallow flat water, sand and muck bottom, marked deep channels |
| Disciplines | Kite · Wing · Foil |
| Skill level | Beginner |
| Launch | Water launch only — walk out through the mangrove gaps |
| Parking | Boat ramp lot. Do not park on the grass — enforcement tickets. |
The rundown
When a front clears and the wind swings north, the 520 Slick is the best flat water on this coast and it isn’t close. The causeway and the mangrove line upwind knock the chop flat, and what’s left is a glassy sheet of knee-to-waist-deep water that runs for as far as you want to ride it. Freestyle riders, foilers learning to jibe, and anyone working on a new trick all end up here for the same reason: you can fall a hundred times and the water doesn’t punish you for it.
The trade-off is the launch. This is not a walk-onto-the-beach spot. The setup area is the grass near the Welcome to Cocoa Beach sign, and getting from there to rideable water means threading a kite through two narrow sandy gaps in the mangroves. Get it wrong and you’re untangling lines out of branches while your kite loops. Launch from the water, every time.
Wind quality changes as you move along the causeway. Right at the launch, especially on a northeast, it’s shifty and gusty — the mangroves and the bridge structure are doing things to the air. Head west toward the bridge and it smooths out noticeably.
The water gets deep past the channel markers — the big wooden poles with signs on them. That’s the boundary. Past it you’re in a boat channel with real depth and real traffic, and the swim back is long enough to matter.
Launching here
- Set up on the grass near the Welcome to Cocoa Beach sign. One kite size — the wind is shifty enough that you'll waste the day switching.
- Park in the marked boat ramp spots. Grass parking gets ticketed.
- Carry your kite through one of the two sandy openings in the mangroves. Keep lines short and controlled.
- Walk out past the mangrove line into ankle‑to‑knee depth before launching.
- Ride west toward the bridge for the cleanest air.
Who it's for
Beginners: The water is ideal — the launch is not. If you’re in your first season, ride here with an instructor or a buddy who can help you get out through the mangroves.
Intermediate: This is your spot. Flat water, no crowd pressure, room to work.
Advanced: Freestyle and foil laps in near-perfect conditions on a good north.
Hazards
- Sharp debris on the bottom — booties are not optional here
- Mangroves eat kites. Never launch from inside the tree line.
- Deep boat channel past the marker poles — stay inside them
- Southerly wind puts a road with cars on it downwind of you
- Manatees and stingrays — shuffle your feet
- No grass parking. Brevard enforcement does ticket.
Wind swung?
East → Kelly Park
South → Jaques
Waves → Cherie Down Park
New here?
Good Breeze runs IKO‑certified lessons ten minutes from this launch.
Book a lesson → or call 321.302.5663Getting there
SR 520 Causeway, Cocoa Beach FL — south side, near the Welcome to Cocoa Beach sign. Park in the boat ramp lot.