6 Things Floridians Do at the Beach in Winter That Northerners Find Hilarious

Up north, a cold snap means checking the driveway for ice.

In Florida, it can mean checking the beach for sea turtles.

Here are the things Floridians do at the beach in winter that Northerners find hilarious.

1. Polar Plunges

The New Year’s Day polar plunge at Jacksonville Beach drew more than 1,000 people in 2026.

The ocean was 64 degrees that morning, warmer than the 45-degree air.

Run in with the crowd and the air feels colder than the water when you step out.

The air wins.

If you grew up shoveling snow, you might join the many Northerners who laugh at calling that a polar plunge.

Farther south, a group from New York waded in at Pompano Beach on New Year’s Day 2025.

It was the 25th year in a row for them, and the water was 73 degrees.

2. Turtle Rescues

Cold-stunned sea turtles washed ashore across the state’s beaches in 2026, with almost 800 of them counted by February.

Record-low temperatures in late January chilled the water on both coasts.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) says a cold-stunned turtle can barely move, if at all, so it can’t swim to warmer water.

That’s a lot of turtles.

By February, Clearwater Marine Aquarium had taken in more than 35 of them, and Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium in Sarasota was caring for about 25.

The Florida Aquarium in Tampa rehabilitated a pair of juveniles named Patriot and Seahawk, who arrived on Super Bowl Sunday, at its Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center in Apollo Beach.

If you walk the sand after a hard cold snap, you may see one before you see anyone else.

After a cold snap, many Northerners check the driveway for ice, while many locals check the sand for turtles.

3. Surf Lineups

Surf lineups on the Gulf Coast last all winter, with surfers lined up at the best breaks from St. Pete to Venice.

Jetty Park, north of Cocoa Beach, is a good surf spot when the winter wind blows.

That’s surf season.

If you’re picturing flip-flops and a cooler, you’re picturing a different beach day.

Many Northerners can’t picture a surfer in winter.

4. Red Tide Checks

Red tides most often form in late summer and early fall, and they persist through winter to spring.

A bloom can last as little as a few weeks or longer than a year, and it can subside and then come back.

Many Northerners check the forecast for snow, while many locals check a red tide map before they pack the cooler.

When the red tide organism is present and winds blow onshore, you can get coughing, sneezing and irritation of the eyes, nose and throat.

Children, older adults and people with chronic respiratory conditions may have more severe symptoms.

FWC's Daily Sample Map shows the latest results for your stretch of coast.

It takes seconds.

5. Pier Fishing

Pier fishing has a winter payoff.

The University of Florida's Pasco County extension office calls late winter into early spring the best time to catch sheepshead, a fish that gathers around piers and pilings.

You may not need a saltwater license on a pier.

If you're fishing from a pier with a valid saltwater pier license, you're exempt.

Without that pier license, you may need to buy a saltwater license.

Children under 16 don't need one either.

Your Florida pier trip comes with a daily sheepshead limit of 8 per person in state waters.

The minimum size is 12 inches total length.

Harvest is open year-round in state waters.

A vessel limit of 50 per trip also applies in March and April, so check FWC's rules before you go.

Back up north, fishing in winter often means an ice shanty, not a pier in a light jacket.

Bring gloves.

6. Waiting on 70 Degrees

Winter swimmers generally start going in when the water warms to around 70 degrees.

At 75 degrees, most people venture in.

Seventy is the line.

The water anywhere in the state is warm enough to swim between April and October.

Many Northerners would call that water temperature a heat wave.

If you're waiting for the water to warm up, you'll spend a lot of the winter on the sand in a jacket.

Fort Lauderdale, Miami, the Keys, Marco Island and Naples have the warmest winter water.

The north is almost always cooler than the south in both summer and winter.