Kayaking & Paddleboarding in South Brevard and Sebastian: Every Launch, Fee and Rental

Sunrise on the Indian River Lagoon — the flat-water window most paddlers here get wrong by arriving at noon.

Most visitors here rent a kayak once, drive to whichever launch Google puts first, go out at 1pm into a 15-knot sea breeze, and decide paddling in Florida is overrated.

It isn't. The stretch of water between Grant-Valkaria, Micco and Sebastian is one of the best flat-water paddling corridors on Florida's east coast: the Indian River Lagoon is protected, shallow and wind-sheltered on its west shore, the St. Sebastian River gives you tannic freshwater and real mangrove tunnels, and the spoil islands give you somewhere to land, swim and eat lunch. What matters is picking the right launch for the day's wind, and going early.

Here is every launch worth using within about 20 minutes of our dock, what each one charges, where to rent gear and what it costs in 2026, plus the rules that get enforced.

The launches, ranked by who they're for

Christenson's Landing — Grant-Valkaria (free)

Three minutes from Sunrise on the River on US-1, this is the local's launch and the one we send guests to when they bring their own boards. Well-maintained concrete ramps, courtesy docks, and a straight shot to the Grant spoil islands and the flats behind them.

• · Launch: concrete ramps plus low courtesy docks; easy to slide a kayak or SUP in without a beach entry.
• · Cost: entry and parking free.
• · Best for: spoil-island hopping, wildlife, a paddle-and-swim afternoon, sunrise sessions.
• · Watch for: boat traffic on weekends — this is a working ramp. Launch off the dock side, not the ramp lanes.

Ramp details, trailer notes and depths are in our boat ramps guide.

Dale Wimbrow Park — Roseland / St. Sebastian River (free)

The best choice on a windy day, and the most scenic launch in the area. You're on the St. Sebastian River — brackish, tree-lined, sheltered on all but the worst days, with side creeks and canopy sections that feel nothing like the open lagoon.

• · Launch: paved boat ramps plus a low floating dock that is genuinely kayak- and SUP-friendly.
• · Cost: entry and parking free.
• · Best for: beginners, kids, birding, windy afternoons, manatee season in the warmer river water.
• · Distance: roughly 20 minutes south of the house.

Sebastian Inlet State Park — the marina side ($8 per vehicle)

The postcard paddle. You launch on the lagoon side near the marina and stay inside the bay — dolphins, manatees, rays over the flats, mangrove shoreline, and the inlet bridge as your backdrop. It's also the one place here where you can walk up and rent without planning ahead.

• · Launch: shoreline and small-craft launch areas on the west (lagoon) side of the park.
• · Cost: $8 per vehicle (2-8 occupants), $4 for a single-occupant vehicle.
• · Rentals on site: yes — see the price table below.
• · Hard rule: do not paddle into the inlet cut itself. The tidal current through Sebastian Inlet runs hard, boat traffic is constant, and it is no place for a kayak or a board. Stay inside the bay. Check the state of the water on our Sebastian Inlet live cam and the inlet conditions page before you go.

Everything else the park offers — jetties, campground, beaches, museums — is in our Sebastian Inlet State Park guide.

Long Point Park — Melbourne Beach / Micco ($4-$5 per vehicle)

A Brevard County park on a peninsula surrounded by lagoon water, minutes from the inlet. Excellent shoreline access and a swimming lagoon, and it puts you closest to the inlet-side flats without paying state-park admission.

• · Launch: boat ramps plus easy shoreline entries.
• · Cost: day-use fee around $4-$5 per vehicle.
• · Best for: paddlers with their own gear who want inlet-area water and a picnic base. Rentals here are delivery-only.

Or skip the drive entirely — our dock

Guests at Sunrise on the River launch kayaks included with the stay straight off the private dock. No car, no roof rack, no ramp fee, no waiting for a rental window: you walk down the yard at 6:45am, and you're on glass. That's the whole reason the dock is the centerpiece of On the Water.

What renting actually costs in 2026

• · Sunshine Paddle Tours operates out of the Sebastian Inlet State Park marina — single kayaks around $37 for one hour, $53 for two, $69 for three, $85 for four, plus SUPs, tandems and guided eco tours. Remember the $8 park entry on top.
• · Capt Hiram's Resort in Sebastian rents tandem kayaks on the riverfront, from roughly $28, which is the cheapest walk-up option in the area.
• · Mobile / delivery outfitters in the Sebastian and Grant-Valkaria area will drop kayaks and boards at a launch — or at a rental house — for hourly or half-day blocks, typically $35-$50 per craft. This is the play if you want boards for three or four days without a roof rack.

Bigger boats, pontoons and charters are a different list: see boat rentals and charters.

Price reality check: two people renting singles for two hours at the state park is about $114 with entry. Four days of that is more than the nightly difference between most rentals here — which is exactly why we include the kayaks.

Where to actually paddle once you're in the water

• · The Grant spoil islands (from Christenson's Landing or our dock). Twenty to forty minutes of paddling gets you to a landable sand shelf. Only islands designated Recreation are open to landing; Conservation islands and the two Critical Wildlife Areas are not. The full breakdown is in Secrets of the Indian River Lagoon.
• · The west-shore flats. Knee-deep seagrass north and south of the house: rays, juvenile snook, wading birds, and manatees nosing along the grass line. Paddle over grass, never drag or pole through it.
• · The St. Sebastian River (from Dale Wimbrow). Head upriver for shade, cypress and side creeks; head downriver toward the lagoon for open water. Best wildlife density in the region.
• · The inlet bay (from the state park or Long Point). Clearest water of anywhere here — it's flushed by the ocean — with dolphins working the bay edge. Stay well clear of the cut.
• · Sunset paddle from the dock. Ten minutes out, kill the paddle, and watch the lagoon go pink. In summer this is also where you'll catch rocket launches reflected on the water.

Want the same corridor on foot? The trailheads, boardwalks and birding hides are on our hiking and birding page, and the wildlife calendar lives in the manatees & wildlife guide.

The seven things locals know and visitors learn the hard way

1. Go at sunrise. The lagoon is glass from first light until the sea breeze fills in around 10-11am. After that you are paddling into wind on the way home. 2. Check wind direction, not just speed. On a west wind, launch from the west shore (Christenson's, our dock) — you get a lee. On a hard east wind, go to the river at Dale Wimbrow instead. 3. Cross the Intracoastal fast and perpendicular. The ICW channel carries real boat traffic; never paddle along the centerline. 4. Wear shoes. Old oyster and shell hash on the shelves is unkind to bare feet. 5. Give manatees room. Don't chase, don't touch, don't paddle over one — coast and let it move. Harassment is a citable offense in Florida. 6. Sun beats you before wind does. Long sleeves, a hat, polarized glasses on a leash, and more water than you think. There is no shade out there and no fresh water on any island. 7. Summer means afternoon storms. Lightning builds inland after 2pm and moves east fast. If you hear thunder, you are already late — get off the water.

Florida rules for kayaks and paddleboards

• · No license or registration is needed for a paddle-powered kayak, canoe or SUP. (Add a motor of any kind and it becomes a registered vessel.)
• · One wearable USCG-approved life jacket per person on board. Children under 6 must wear one at all times.
• · Sound-producing device — a whistle is fine — required.
• · After sunset: you must carry a white light (headlamp or handheld) to show to approaching vessels.
• · Paddleboards are legally vessels in Florida when used outside a swim area; the PFD and whistle rules apply, and a leash is common sense even when it isn't required.
• · No alcohol behind the paddle. BUI applies to paddlecraft.
• · Seagrass and wildlife: the whole lagoon here sits inside an Aquatic Preserve. Don't land on Conservation-designated islands, keep dogs off nesting shorelines, and pack out everything.

Two ready-made paddling days

The easy morning (free, 2 hours). Coffee at 6:30, launch off the dock or Christenson's Landing by 7, paddle north along the grass line, land on a Recreation spoil island for a swim, home by 9:30 before the wind. Cost: $0.

The full inlet day ($8-$114). Drive 20 minutes to Sebastian Inlet State Park, rent for two hours at the marina, paddle the bay and mangroves, then lunch at the park or at a riverfront spot in Sebastian, and finish on the beach side of the park. Add the fishing rod if you want it to be a fishing trip.

Where to stay so paddling is the default

Sunrise on the River is a 3BR/2BA single-story waterfront home in Grant-Valkaria on the Indian River Lagoon: private dock, kayaks included, screened porch, fire pit, gazebo, sleeps 8, two dogs welcome. The lagoon is at the bottom of the yard, Christenson's Landing is three minutes away, Dale Wimbrow is 20 minutes south and Sebastian Inlet is 5.4 miles by boat.

[See open dates and book direct →](/availability) — no service fee, and the kayaks come with the house.

Related reading: our dock, kayaks and the run to the inlet · boat ramps within two miles · spoil islands and VIP Island · manatees and wildlife · hiking and birding trails