Daytona's own surf is modest; the coast's surf town is New Smyrna Beach, thirty minutes south, where the inlet's sandbars make the most consistent breaks on Florida's east coast. This guide is the inlet's story, told by its surfers.

HOMETOWN HYPE: New Smyrna - Sandbars, sharks, and an iconic surf town

The Inertia

The Inertia's Hometown Hype film profiles New Smyrna Beach through the surfers who call it home — a tight-knit surf town built around the inlet's consistent sandbar breaks, living with its 'Shark Bite Capital of the World' reputation, and filmmaker Sam Scribner, who found his way back to surfing here after a life-changing injury.

Key takeaways
  • NSB's surf community in its own words
  • The inlet's consistent East Coast breaks
  • Surfing alongside the shark-bite reputation

Smyrna Dunes Park Review | New Smyrna Beach Boardwalk, Surf & Hidden Beaches

Sunkel Family

A family road-trip vlog whose middle act is a Smyrna Dunes Park visit: after a long line of cars at the entrance, the family walks the full boardwalk loop, watches surfers working the inlet break and takes in the dune scenery. The park segment sits inside a larger holiday family trip film, but the boardwalk coverage itself is a genuine, ground-level look at the park on a busy day.

Key takeaways
  • Expect an entry line on busy holiday-period days, as filmed
  • Full boardwalk loop walk with inlet surf views
  • Park segment is part of a longer family road-trip film

Eastbound & All Around, Ep. 1: New Smyrna Super Session

Surfline

Surfline's Eastbound & All Around series opens at New Smyrna Beach with a 'super session' — top surfers trading waves at the inlet on a strong day, filmed in October 2021. Pure session footage; no narration track was available.

Key takeaways
  • Pro-level session at the NSB inlet
  • Surfline Eastbound & All Around, Ep. 1
  • Filmed October 2021

Hometown Hype: the town in its own words

The Inertia's profile leads: a tight-knit surf community built around the inlet breaks, living openly with the 'Shark Bite Capital of the World' reputation — and a filmmaker who found his way back to surfing here after a life-changing injury. It is the definitive NSB surf film.

The session and the scene

Surfline's super session puts top surfers trading waves at the inlet on a strong October day — pure footage. The Smyrna Dunes films watch from the boardwalk: surfers working the break below the jetty, the park's know-before-you-go notes (limited parking, arrive early), and the mile-and-a-half boardwalk loop past gopher tortoises into Canaveral National Seashore's wild southern beaches.

1988: when the world tour stopped here

The closing film is a treasure: the 1988 Aloe Up Cup, an ASP World Tour stop at this inlet, with a one-hour final between reigning world champion Damien Hardman and Tom Carroll for the $5,000 winner's share of a $35,000 purse — huge local crowds, period commentary, a photographer's retrospective. New Smyrna's surf credentials are not nostalgia; they are documented.

Sources: the 6 videos on this page, filmed at New Smyrna Beach's inlet breaks.

Watch: Daytona Beach Surfing Guide, guided

3 videos · summaries from the actual guides

7 Thinks You Need to Know about Smyrna Dunes Park, in New Smyrna Beach Florida Before You Go

Beach Access

A brisk 'seven things to know' guide to Smyrna Dunes Park: hours of 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and about $11 a day as filmed, limited parking that rewards an early arrival, compact restrooms and showers at the entrance, and firm sand good for walking and beach cruising. The film flags New Smyrna's shark-bite reputation alongside its top-tier surfing, points out the river fishing pier, mangroves, gopher tortoises and osprey, and calls the dog beach one of the biggest it has seen.

Key takeaways
  • Arrive early — parking is limited, per the film
  • One of the largest dog beaches the creators have seen
  • Shelling, a river fishing pier and frequent tortoise and osprey sightings

1988 Aloe Up Cup Surf Contest in New Smyrna Beach

One Photographer's Life

A narrated look back at the 1988 Aloe Up Cup, when the ASP World Tour stopped at New Smyrna Beach's inlet: huge local crowds, period contest commentary, and a one-hour final between reigning world champion Damien Hardman and Tom Carroll for the $5,000 winner's share of a $35,000 purse, with Barton Lynch among the standouts in the heats.

Key takeaways
  • The ASP World Tour at the NSB inlet, 1988
  • Hardman vs Carroll one-hour final
  • $35,000 purse, as filmed

I'm Going Alone to a Nude Beach

Miles In America - Introvert Travel

Episode two of Miles In America's New Smyrna Beach trip (2026) goes wild-side: the mile-and-a-half boardwalk loop at Smyrna Dunes Park — gopher tortoises on the path, surfers below the jetty, signage and shaded sits along the way — and on into Canaveral National Seashore, whose remote southern beaches (including the clothing-optional stretch) the hosts debate visiting and ultimately just drive past. An honest look at the nature half of an NSB stay.

Key takeaways
  • Smyrna Dunes Park: ~1.5-mile boardwalk loop, gopher tortoises, jetty surfers
  • Canaveral National Seashore borders town to the south
  • The seashore's quiet beaches include a clothing-optional section (discussed, not shown)

More Daytona Beach essentials

Share this page
X Facebook Pinterest Email