Wakeboarding and Living at Eglin/Destin

Time has come again for me to pack up and move. Right now my company is saying that I might be heading towards the Eglin area. I have done a little looking around and it looks like there are a few rides in the area, but not alot. I guess most of the riding happens on the Bayous and Intracoastel. If anyone has any suggestions on where I might be riding once I move there or even on good areas of town to live that will help fasilitate riding it would be helpfull.

Thanks,

GET WITH DEVIN RODGERS. HES GOT A SCHOOL ON COMPASS LAKE IN PANAMA OUT ON 231. AND DONT GET UPSET. NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ANDREW ADKISON IS FROM PANAMA CITY....SO THERES GOOD SPOT UP THERE.

Compass Lake is over an hour away and is private. Panama City is no better then what we have here in Destin. I am a REALTOR and have lived in the area for years. I assume you'll be renting. I do not personally deal with rentals but for you I would be more then happy to assist in any way that I could, e-mail you current rental lists etc. Just let me know if I can help you. You'll love the area!

Josh- After re-reading what I wrote I sound like an a$$ trying to negate everything you wrote. I am sorry I intended no such thing!

Nothing is official yet. At this point I am just trying to get familiar with the areas so I know where to start looking for a rental when/if I get the word that I am moving there. I was told Bluewater Bay was a good area, is that true? I need a place that has thing to do, and close to wakeboarding, but also a good place to start a family as I have my first baby on the way in a few weeks.

Destin is going to be where the majority of restaurants, movie theaters, beach, and touristy stuff is going to be. Destin also is going to have higher home and rental prices traditionally, but thats not to say in today's economy a deal cannot be found. Destin is a vast stretch of land sandwiched between the Gulf of Mexico and the Choctawhatchee Bay. On the East of Destin there is a 5 mile toll bridge north to Bluewater Bay. 'Bluewater' has always been one of the nicer areas to live as there is tons of retired military and the majority of homes are in subdivisions with HOAs. Bluewater has it's own shopping complex for groceries, a couple banks, CVS, and a few resturants. Head west out of Bluewater Bay and over the Rocky Bayou Bridge and you get to Niceville. Here you will find a lot of different schools, K-Mart, a majority of businesses, and a mixed housing area of new and older homes throughout. Even more west and you come across Valpariso and the back gate to Eglin. Val-P (as it's called) is a much older area but still quaint. Homes are in the 1940-1960s range. Northwest from there and around down south back to the far west side of Destin is the vast area of Fort Walton Beach mixed with a lot of Eglin. Eglin really is everywhere however. Fort Walton Beach is going to have the cheapest home prices generally and has a lot more of a small city feel to it.

A days drive throughout the area will get you fairly knowledgeable on where you want to live. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.

Ya Bluewater would probably be good for you. By far the BEST place to wakeboard in this area is the Ditch, which you have mentioned is the intercoastal between destin-santa rosa beach and panama city. It is about 30-40 minutes from Bluewater, east of Destin on 98.. Well worth the drive. However, there are other good places in the Bay to Wakeboard when you don't have time to drive.

What do you guys do with your boats down there? I am running in brakish right now, but it is very low salinity. I have a flush kit and that is about it. Standard painted trailer as well. Right now we just wash the boat every time we use it, flush it and spray on some babes.

Well, you just gotta do your part and clean the boat every time you go out. It's pretty standard but fresh water guys might think it's a little bothersome. The painted trailer might be the only problem.

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DEVINS EASIEST CONTACT

What about closer to the Florida / Bama line in Orange Beach? Are there some decent and frequent riders there? My mom has a condo there and I come down about 4 times a year. Can anyone get me a hookup for a pull?

I was born in the Eglin area and I grew up in the Bluewater Bay region. There are plenty places to Wakeboard: Rocky Bayou, Tom’s Bayou, The Ditch, Joe’s Bayou, Gardner’s Bayou… Some of them can get busy, but we were always able to find good water. I owned a Malibu Wakesetter for 6 years, and we had it on a boat lift above the brackish water. The boat does fine as long as you rinse out the engine with Salt Away and rinse down the boat good every time.

Since you have a little one on the way, I will tell you that the public school systems are very good. Eglin Air Force Base does a lot of testing for the air-to-ground missile systems, which employs a lot of well educated people. These people have pushed for better Honors/AP/Gifted programs within all of the school programs in Okaloosa County. Also, Florida has a Bright Futures program, which pays 100% of your kid’s tuition if they can reach certain SAT/ACT scores and GPA. I ended up going to Florida State with full tuition + books and another $8 grand from the state (at the time it only required a 3.5gpa and about a 1300 on the SAT). I am not trying to brag, I am just saying that there are opportunities for kids there.

Lastly, I high recommend that you get with Paul if you visit the region. He knows the area better than anyone I know, and is a really honest and nice guy. I have been friends with him for many years.

If you want to see an old school video of wakeboarding in the area, check this out: