Freak Offshore Sandbar Creates New Surf Break in Florida (Video)

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Jan 2, 2026 10:54 AM ET

While Florida might not be known for the best waves in the world, the Sunshine State certainly eats and breathes surfing. Look no further than Kelly Slater, the greatest of all time, who hails from the fickle shores of Cocoa Beach, FL, and look where he is today – not to mention a laundry list of other high-profile surfers over the years.

And recently, surfers in Jupiter, Florida have been treated to an anomalous sandbar, forming about 500 yards off the shore, and bringing with it, a brand-new wave. But the thing about sand is, it tends to move. Just like the sand filtered into this one zone, forming a wave, it’s likely to drift and disperse as well. Take a gander at the fleeting wave below.

The build-up of sand seems to form an A-frame style wave, with surfers, paddleboarders, foilers, kayakers, etc. catching lengthier-than-usual rights and lefts from the peak.

Amidst the comments on the video, many bellowing the “blowing out the spot” song, one person was stoked to see footage of the freak phenomenon:

“Surfed it the past week, place was picking up the waves better than all the surrounding area I had checked along the coast. At least 2 feet better than the other nearby spots. Seems to be a wave refracting magnet wedging the waves. Place rocks!”

It’s also somewhat familiar, as something similar happened recently on the Gold Coast of Australia. Due to sand dredging, a sandbar formed, and weird waves aficionado Dylan Graves hit the spot before it disappeared, calling it: “a run of novelty sandbars straight out of a surfer’s dream.”

As for Jupiter, it appears this isn’t the first time an accumulation of sand has formed offshore. Last year, a similar thing happened and it created an issue for unwitting boaters. “BOATERS BEWARE!” a photographer wrote. “Hidden Sandbar Causes Big Problems at the Jupiter Inlet! A luxury boat runs aground on a sandbar, while towboats strategize to set it free.”

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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