Map › USA › Florida Keys - Marathon

Destination · tier 2 · medium guide

Florida Keys - Marathon

Marathon is the practical, family-friendly middle of the Keys - less party than Key West, more developed than the lower Keys, with good flatwater at Coco Plum and Curry Hammock plus a strong marine-attraction scene (Turtle Hospital, Dolphin Research Center). It suits kiters who want real infrastructure (car rental, groceries, restaurants) without Key West's crowds and prices.

in-season months (from spot data)

How it scores for you

7.6Learninglow

9.0Freestylelow

2.2Waveslow

4.5Kite + worklow

7.3Familylow

Persona presets weight the scores below for one kind of rider. Each carries the weakest confidence among its parts — never an average that hides a gap.

—Windnone

8.2Beginnermedium

10.0Flat waterhigh

0.0Waveshigh

—Spacenone

6.6Safetylow

4.0Accesslow

5.4Costmedium

3.5Scenemedium

—Kite + worknone

7.0Familymedium

7.9Off-waterhigh

score-spec v1 (shrunk to coverage) — a score built on little evidence is pulled toward the middle rather than shown as a confident extreme. Hover a tile for its confidence.

Beach at Curry Hammock State Park, Marathon FL — Ebyabe / CC BY-SA 3.0

View from Curry Hammock State Park, Marathon FL — Marvin The Paranoid / CC BY-SA 4.0

What nobody tells you first

The narrow island chain offers little storm protection - track hurricane season weather closely if traveling June-November
Marathon's own airport has minimal commercial service - most fly into Miami and drive

Spots here

Coco Plum Beach tier 2

flat · · beginner ok

Coco Plum Beach is a turquoise flatwater beach in Marathon in the middle Florida Keys, regarded as one of the best spots in the Keys for foiling and wing-surfin…

Curry Hammock tier 3

flat · · beginner ok

Curry Hammock State Park sits along both sides of US-1 at mile marker 56.2 on Crawl Key near Marathon, offering a convenient, easy roadside flatwater launch ins…

Getting there & getting around

airports	Florida Keys Marathon International (MTH) - general aviation, limited/no commercial service Miami International (MIA) is the realistic commercial gateway, ~2hr drive down US-1
transfers	Greyhound/Flixbus serves the Marathon airport area; Keys Shuttle offers door-to-door service from Miami/Fort Lauderdale; boats can dock at marinas on both the Atlantic and Gulf sides
car needed	Yes - rent a car for flexibility between spots and attractions
road quirks	Sits along US-1 with the Seven Mile Bridge at its southwestern end; hurricane season means little storm protection given the narrow island chain

Where to stay

zones	name: Marathon town (US-1 corridor) why: central to both Coco Plum and Curry Hammock, has groceries/restaurants/marinas who for: most kiters basing in the middle Keys
booking tips	Waterfront efficiency units and marina-adjacent rooms are common; camping available at Jolly Roger Trailer Park and Key By The Sea

Practical

money	US Dollar
sim internet	Standard US carrier coverage
language	English
visa hint	Standard US entry requirements apply for international visitors

costs	level: mid examples: Snorkel charter ~$30 adults Dolphin Research Center ~$25 Crane Point Museum ~$12.50
seasons beyond wind	Hurricane season June-November requires monitoring given the islands' narrow, low-lying geography; winter is the busier, more settled season.

Scene & life

vibe	Practical, marina-town, family-friendly - not a nightlife destination
apres kite	Herbie's (casual burgers)

must try	Stone crab claws (seasonal) Fresh seafood generally
rider hangouts	Herbie's Hideaway Cafe (upscale waterfront)

activities	Crane Point Museum (~$12.50) Dolphin Research Center (~$25) Turtle Hospital tours Pigeon Key (~$12) Sombrero Beach for swimming/picnicking
day trips	Spirit Snorkeling and Tilden's Scuba Center charters to nearby reefs (~$30 adults) Little Duck Key / Bahia Honda (short drive) Key West (further south)
pairs with	Little Duck Key and Islamorada as neighboring stops on the same Keys road trip

What riders say

Claim	Agreement	Mentions	Sources
Curry Hammock and Coco Plum are the go-to Marathon-area alternatives when Anne's Beach (Islamorada) isn't working	mixed	1	Sources: facebook.com/groups/222288911116157/post
In more northerly wind you likely need a boat to reach ridable flats rather than launching from Coco Plum/Curry Hammock directly	mixed	1	Sources: facebook.com/groups/222288911116157/post

Wind micro-knowledge

Tips from riders

Otherside Boardsports (local shop) was named as the go-to resource for current local riding conditions

Communities

name: Florida Keys Kiteboarding
platform: Facebook group
url: facebook.com/groups/249660012008/

Open questions — know the answer? Propose an edit

No rider-generated content could be retrieved for Coco Plum Beach / Curry Hammock / Marathon this session - web search tooling was unavailable (see batch-level note).
Needs a re-run: 'site:reddit.com Coco Plum kite' and 'Curry Hammock kiteboarding', Florida Keys kite forum threads, iKiteSurf spot page comments.
No wind direction, season, hazard, or tide data found for Coco Plum or Curry Hammock specifically
No direct rider reviews of either named spot
Unclear how these two beaches compare to each other

Schools

Itinerary idea

Base in Marathon town, split kite days between Coco Plum and Curry Hammock, and fill rest days with the Turtle Hospital, Dolphin Research Center, and a snorkel charter.

Sources: en.wikivoyage.org · en.wikivoyage.org

Last verified: research pass of Aug 2026. Prices and rules drift — propose an edit if you know better.