Question: We will be coming to Tarpon Springs to visit relatives. What time of year is best to come so we can enjoy warm water, but avoid hurricanes? Also, what is a good beach near Tarpon Springs? And where can we find the best shells?
Fred Howard Park Beach
Answer: The only beaches that Tarpon Springs has are the man-made beaches–Fred Howard Park and Sunset Beach–located on St. Joseph Sound. Both of those beaches are more suitable for wading than for swimming as the water is so shallow. The better “beach” by far is Fred Howard Park.
If you want a real Gulf beach, the closest would be Honeymoon Island State Park beach in Dunedin. Then there is Pier 60 at Clearwater Beach.
As far as warm swimming, mid-May will probably have Gulf water temperatures above 80 degrees, where they will remain right through the end of September.
I would say the risk of hurricanes is low all the time on the Gulf side, but characteristically, June and July are the start of the season and we infrequently get affected by hurricanes in those months. However, in the last couple of years we’ve had a few surprise June storms pass by in the Gulf.
75% of hurricanes that have hit Florida happened between August and October. If a hurricane passes by in June, it is statistically more likely to come into the Gulf. July hurricanes typically miss Florida, either curving north in the Atlantic or deflecting west in the Gulf.
In summary, to minimize hurricanes and maximize water temperatures, the last two weeks of May and perhaps the first week of June would be ideal. The water at that time will not have achieved its maximum temperature (86 to 88 degrees) but it should be in the 80 to 83 degree range.
Honeymoon Island is the best for shelling, especially on the northern beaches. If you’re a little adventurous, you can take the passenger ferry from Honeymoon Island to Caladesi Island State Park (20 minute ride) and spend a couple of hours there. Shelling is sometimes good there as well. It’s a fun trip.
From Tarpon Springs sponge docks you can take a passenger ferry to Anclote Key. They spend about an hour there, giving you time to pick up a few shells. It’s a fun trip.
