Island Water Sports
1985 N.E. Second St., Deerfield Beach, 954/427-4929, Islandwatersports.com
Anyone who has driven past this store along A1A knows Island Water Sports for the scary-looking great white shark that protrudes from its façade, but surfers know it as ground zero for wave-riding gear in South Florida. In business since 1978, IWS once boasted 26 locations that stocked a prime selection of surfboards, leashes, board bags and board shorts by such name-brand companies as Stussy and Quiksilver. Today, only the Deerfield Beach store remains, but with its convenient location a block from the ocean and its arsenal of short and long boards, wetsuits, clothing and surf DVDs, IWS is one of the last real surf shops in the region. It sponsors its own surf team, provides live Webcams of breaks from South Beach to Jupiter Inlet, sponsors trips to Costa Rica and even hosts all-ages surf camps. The shop also carries a decent selection of skate decks and other gear for those many South Florida days when the ocean is flatter than a pita.
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