We're thinking about going to Amelia Island in July. Actually, we've made the reservations so I suppose I should say that we are going . . .
Anyway, can anyone tell me how the beach is on Amelia Island?? I've read some posts about sharks . . . are they always a problem? Are there waves in the ocean like in Ft. Lauderdale or Miami? I know that the water won't necessarily be as nice. We're a family that likes to play in the ocean so I'd hate to get there and be disappointed.
Thanks!

We stayed at the Ritz Carlton on Amelia Island last July. The beach is very wide and separated from the hotel and other condominium complexes by sand dunes with sea oats. You walk on a wooden boardwalk to get to the beach. I'd guess it's about 75-100 yards. Depending on the tides, the water can be quite far back from the beach. When the waves are "up", the boogie boarding and surfing is fun. Wave height will vary tremdously. A couple of days the waves were probably 4-5 feet high, a couple of days later they were in the 1-2 foot range. I think it depends on whatever weather systems are out in the atlantic. Thunderstorms can occur in the afternoons and the lifeguards will drive by and tell people to leave the beach. We never had any shark sightings or warnings so I can't comment on that. The water is not as clear blue looking as it can be in Ft. Lauderdale and Miami but it is still nice. The color of the sand is darker there than down in South Florida. Water temperatures are a little cooler than S. Florida as well. It's a very laid back place with a lot of families. One thing we have never done is the horseback rides on the beach. If you think you might be interested in that, be sure to bring jeans and closed toe shoes. We only had shorts and hot weather clothes and didn't think horseback riding in shorts would be too comfortable or even allowed. Be aware, it will be very hot in July with high humidity as well. You'll want to spend a lot of time in the water!

Here's a picture of Summer Beach at low tide. The Ritz is the building in the distance with the blue roof (which has now been painted brown):

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...11652962GqIaww

There are a few other pix if you hit the back and forward buttons.

We have family there and visit a few times per year. I pretty much agree with everything the previous poster said. It's a nice, wide, long beach and even at July 4th, it doesn't seem all that crowded. I think there have been shark sightings occasionally, but I'm not aware that it's a regular thing. My daughter has spent plenty of time playing in the ocean there.

I don't know what your point of reference is regarding beaches and what in particular your question 'how's the beach' means. Also, I have never been to Amelia Island, but I can tell you that beaches on the east coast are NOTHING like the beaches on the gulf coast of Florida. The Atlantic Ocean (where it meets the USA coastline) just does not get the crystal clear blue of the Gulf or of any of the islands. FWIW

You can't control nature, and the sharks are in the ocean. When we visited AI a few years ago, the hotel warned us about recent shark attacks. That was all it took for me to be a believer.

A caution for you...sharks can come into very shallow water. If in doubt, look at the ocean, swim in the pool.

Here is a post where I described in detail the southeastern Atlantic coast. This applies for Amelia Island.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...xt=gulf+stream