Posted on 5/8/2015By the Ocean Reef Editorial Team
"Surf's up!" Well it can, be especially when the winds are strong from the south. Dazzling Destin is always a fun adventure for our Ocean Reef Resorts guests since there is so much to do here. Besides luxuriating on the beautiful beaches there is also championship golf, tennis, great restaurants, friendly bars, fun seasonal festivals, free musical concerts, an abundance of water sports and of course - surfing!
This sport has become ever more popular along the Emerald Coast in recent years, although the sport has been happily pursued in Destin for decades. Although we do not have giant Hawaiian type waves, the popularity here is not surprising since there's nothing like riding a curling wave that glows like a green luminescent jewel! Now there are three Surf Shops who cater to Surfer Dudes and Gals. They are the Billabong Destin store, Maui Nix Surf Shop at Destin Commons and the long established Innerlight Surf Shop.
The Billabong Destin Store is actually in Miramar Beach located at Grand Boulevard which serves as Sandestin's Town Center. This company was originally founded in Australia in 1973, hence the charming name. They started out on The Gold Coast of Queensland selling custom styled "Board Shorts" which were sold to local surf shops. These durable board shorts became quite popular due to a unique design that used three stitches and the business began to expand exponentially throughout Australia. In the late 1980s they were exported to New Zealand, South Africa and Japan. They introduced surf boards, skate boards, shoes, caps, sunglasses and a whole host of surf related accessories. Today Billabong is an internationally known company has stores throughout the United States, Canada, Latin America, Brazil, other parts of Asia and even the Middle East. The Billabong in Destin carries popular brand name surf boards including 107, Ghetto Cat, Hippie, and Wavepark as well as Wave Zone Skim boards. Besides surf boards they also carry product lines for paddle boards and skate boards. Billabongs has a large array of company lines for surf styled clothing and accessories including Rvca, Element, Nixon, Von Zipper, Drakine and Sector 9. The local owners who operate this store take pride in "giving back" to the community by participating in beach cleanups, sponsoring surfing and conducting special "surf camps." Hours of operation are Mondays thru Saturdays 10am to 9pm and on Sundays from 11am till 7pm. Learn more at billabongdestin.com.
Maui Nix is located at Destin Commons in Destin near the intersection of Emerald Coast Parkway and the Mid Bay Bridge Road. This is family owned retailer started out in Daytona Beach with their first store in 1989. Now this serves as the family headquarters with a total of three stores in Daytona. Their popular success led to an expansion and now there are stores in Coconut Grove, Pembroke Pines, Clearwater and here in Destin. Their popularity has obviously flourished and they recently received the coveted award as the "Surf Industry Association Manufacturers Breakout Retailer of the Year."
The Destin Maui Nix opened at Destin Commons in 2004 with a friendly knowledgeable staff. Surf boards and Skateboards include Bustin, Carver, Globe, Penny, Sector 9 and Sunset Skate. An assortment of rash guards, leashes and wet suits are available as well. They also carry a number of accessories and clothing lines which they call "Clothes for the soul. " These items are directly related to the love of surfing, skim boarding and skate boards. The Junior and Guy's Section includes famous surf core stuff like Element, Fox, Quicksilver, Roxy and Volcom. They have footwear from Tom's as well as sandals from Cobian, Rainbow, Roxy and Sanuk. Women's Wear includes a nice assortment of fashionable tops, tanks, long skirts and hoodies. Maui Nix also carries a selection of hats, sunglasses, towels, Frisbees and even sunscreen so you are well prepared for your own surf party. This company sponsors local surf contests and supports charities which include surfing camps for autistic and foster kids along with clothing drives for back packs. They are open Monday thru Saturday 10am to 9pm and on Sundays from 11am till 7pm.
Innerlight prides itself on being "the surfers surf shop" and were the original retailer for surfing along the Emerald Coast. The Innerlight Surf Shop was founded by local native Yancy Spencer way back in 1969 with his brother JB. Avid surfers themselves with a true love and passion for the sport, they started their first surf shop in a 400 square foot cinder block building. Since that time the local family business expanded and now has four locations. They are locally located at 862 A Highway 98 East in Destin. Other locations are in Gulf Breeze, Pensacola and Pensacola Beach. Yancy passed away in February 2011 in California. His last day was marked and blessed by doing what he loved the most in the world which was surfing. The business continues to carry on the passionate surfing tradition with his brother JB and other family members. Innerlight has been involved with the community for decades sponsoring local surfing events, teams, instruction and schools. In fact Innerlight really specializes in the sport itself providing surf and paddle board rentals as well as personal instruction. Surf and Paddle Boards rent as follows: 1 hour $15; 3 hours $30; 10 hours $45; 24 hours $60 but then it is $50 per day for extending this time. They encourage new surfing enthusiasts to rent boards first in order to get a feel for the sport. Once you fall in love with surfing they can create and make a custom made board just for you. These unique boards come with clear glassing on the bottom and two layers of glassing on the top along with a deck patch. Three "future fin boxes" go onto their Short Boards while a center single fin box is placed on the bottom of their Long Boards. Short Boards are 4' to 7' long ranging in price from $429 to $459. Special "Fish", "Egg", "Fun Shape" and Long Boards range in length from 5'9" to 11'1" priced between $479 to $749. Special customization is available to make the board uniquely your own one of a kind with resin color tints, airbrush work or graphic inlays. Their shop carries a wide variety of special Innerlight board shorts, T shirts, Sweat shirts, Caps, Hoodies, some Beach Jewelry and three types of Skate Boards including colorful custom designs called "Lady in Red", "The Azdeck" and "Pineapple Express." The Skate Board Training Facility has a course that has a backyard bowl, two opposing bank ramps as well as a collection of boxes, benches and rails.
Related article: Best 30A Surf Shops
The next time your family and friends come down to stay in one of our fine Ocean Reef Resorts vacation rentals you may look out upon the beautiful beach, see some heightened wave action and excitedly exclaim "Surf's up!" Now you have yet another exciting adventure to enjoy while visiting the jewel toned waters of the Emerald Coast.
The Ocean Reef Editorial Team leads the market in vacation rental, real estate, and coastal lifestyle content, with decades of Destin & 30A expertise behind every story. As the area's largest locally owned and longest continually operating vacation rental company, we welcome over 200,000 guests each year and reach millions who dream of the beach. Our guides serve travelers, homeowners, and locals alike, sharing authentic knowledge you can trust-because this coast isn't just where we work, it's where our story began, and where we'll continue to welcome generations to come.
