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Less Than 30 Days Old
South Padre Island
2 Bedroom,
2 Bathroom,
Listed Price: $189,900
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South Padre Island
2 Bedroom,
2 Bathroom,
Listed Price: $187,900
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South Padre Island
2 Bedroom,
2 Bathroom,
Listed Price: $395,000
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South Padre Island
2 Bedroom,
2 Bathroom,
Listed Price: $395,000
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Less Than 30 Days Old
South Padre Island
2 Bedroom,
2 Bathroom,
Listed Price: $195,000
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South Padre Island
3 Bedroom,
2 Bathroom,
Listed Price: $420,000
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South Padre Island
3 Bedroom,
3 Bathroom,
Listed Price: $535,000
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South Padre Island Offers An Ideal Setting For Water Sports
By: South Padre Island CVB PR
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas – From calm, shallow bay waters to Gulf of Mexico waves, South Padre Island’s unique setting provides world-class conditions for several popular water sports year-round. The Island offers windsurfing, kiteboarding, surfing, kayaking and diving opportunities for all experience levels, from beginners to experts.
WINDSURFING & KITEBOARDING
Subtropical temperatures and consistent winds averaging 18 miles per hour make South Padre Island an ideal setting for both windsurfing and kiteboarding.
Windsurfing combines elements of sailing and surfing, with a rider perched on a board equipped with a rotating sail. In the new and fast-growing sport of kiteboarding, a rider’s feet are strapped to a board as a large kite propels the craft. The rider must control both the board and the kite.
With a water depth of approximately three feet, the waters of the Laguna Madre Bay on the Island’s western shore make an ideal, beginner-friendly training ground while also offering great conditions for more experienced enthusiasts. This is the location of one of South Padre Island’s premier windsurfing and kiteboarding spots, including the South Flats, a wide expanse of sand flats along the Laguna Madre Bay. As one South Padre Island instructor calls it, the area is considered “the single most amazing combination of wind, water and land in North America.”
More experienced windsurfers and kiteboarders can find plenty of challenge off the Island’s eastern shore in the Gulf of Mexico. Gulf waves are easily accessed at the jetties at the southern end of the Island. In addition, “back country” windsurfing and kiteboarding is an option on the Island’s undeveloped northern beaches.
Another fast growing sport, Stand Up Paddle Boarding, is also well suited for the Island’s waters and a great option for windless days. Paddle boarders stand on an extra-stable, long, wide surfboards and propel themselves with a long paddle. Several spots around the Island are also ideal for kayaking. The Island offers equipment rentals and instructors for all of these activities.
SURFING
Surfing is also popular throughout the year. In fact, South Padre Island is home to the only year-round professional surfing instructors in Texas. Lessons are available daily on the Island, along with one-day surf camps that teach people from preschoolers to senior citizens how to surf (at one surf school, each camper receives an action photo of themselves riding the waves as a souvenir).
While beginners and families will find South Padre’s waves inviting, more experienced surfers will appreciate the challenges that the Gulf waves bring, and the Island is considered by many to offer the finest surfing in the state. In fact, the Texas State Surfing Championships take place each March at South Padre Island, a tradition more than 40 years old.
SNORKELING & DIVING
The Island’s adventures continue under the waves. South Padre Island offers adventurepacked options for snorkelers and divers as well.
For divers, a new artificial reef is now coming into its prime, creating the area’s newest underwater attraction: the U.S.T.S. Texas Clipper, a 473-foot ship that was sunk 17 miles off South Padre Island in November 2007. The experience offers something for divers of every skill level. Because of its size, divers can make repeated visits to the site and find something new each time.
The Texas Clipper is the latest among several other area dive features in the waters near South Padre Island, including 40 shipwrecks and 16 oil and gas rigs that allow views of sea life such as tropical fish, red snapper, turtles, even sharks.
ABOUT SOUTH PADRE ISLAND
With a tropical feel, white sandy beaches and blue waters, South Padre Island is a worldclass, year-round beach destination on the Gulf of Mexico, just 30 miles north of the Mexican border. In 2008, Men’s Fitness Magazine named it one of the top 10 beaches in the country.
The Island provides a warm, four-season welcome with an abundance of activities such as water sports, dolphin watching, fishing, horseback riding, shopping, diving and birding.
For information on South Padre Island, call the South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau at (956) 761-3005 or 1-800-SOPADRE, or visit www.sopadre.com.
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