Our Cocoa Beach Experience
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We had done some sea swimming with the girls back in the UK before we left. We actually have a video about it.
Reviews were a bit mixed back then. Both kids liked it a bit but also much preferred sitting on the beach and eating fish and chips.
However, our trip to Cocoa Beach combined with some new swimming skills and giant waves made for an excellent day out.
First thoughts on Cocoa Beach
When we first arrived at Cocoa Beach, I pulled up the car and hope out to scope the beach. The beach was pretty empty, no-one was swimming and there was a lifeguard hut flying a red flag.
I immediately felt disappointed for Emily who had been super excited to swim in the sea off the coast of Florida. We had all been excited bout that.
Rather than admit defeat though, we decided to drive a little bit further down the beach to see if it was any different there. Thank goodness we did!
The spot we found had cheaper parking for starters, and there were people swimming in the sea. Yes!
Swimming in the sea at Cocoa Beach
The waves were big! Not super big. I’ve definitely swum in worse, but many were going over my head. It was not going to be leisurely swim more of an extreme sport.
Alice preferred paddling in the shallow water, still lacking in confidence at this point. But she did enjoy picking things up on the beach including sand and bits of seaweed.
Emily, on the other hand, went totally wild. The waves were massive. They knocked me off my feet more than once. But that didn’t stop Emily.
Emily loved the waves! She would swim under them, swim with them, let them knock her over and any other game she could think of to do with waves.
I did not let go of her the whole time. Every few seconds, I would drag her out of a huge wave to check she was OK. She would get annoyed at me and ask to be thrown back in.
She spent more time underwater that day than above it, I’m sure. But she had the best time! It made me go all warm and fuzzy.
Picnic on the beach
When I did manage to drag Emily out of the water, we enjoyed a few sandy sandwiches and some cans of fizz.
Although, this didn’t last long because the kids wanted to get back to the adventure and Emily was nagging one of us to take her back in the sea again.
Ron Jon’s Surf Shop
Once we had completely had our fill of jumping and diving through waves and knew with complete certainty that we had sand EVERYWHERE, we decided to pack up and go for a wander.
The main destination was Ron Jon’s Surf Shop which I just adore. It is like my idea of heaven.
Firstly, unlike most clothes shop I go in, the clothes look comfy and practical. Think shorts and vest tops, paired with flip flops and a straw hat.
Then they sell everything you could think of for enjoying the ocean. There are surfboards, bodyboards, snorkelling gear, fishing gear and swimwear.
I completely plan to go back there one day and spend a load of money. I will look cool and the ocean will have to deal with me exploring it on an array of vessels.
Make Cocoa Beach part of your Orlando experience
It is only an hour’s drive from Kissimmee and will give you something completely different from the busy theme parks.
We loved a true family day spent playing in the sand and the surf. Just remember to take a lot of sun cream and be prepared for lots of sand in the car.
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