Nothing matched that. Try kite, kayak, SUP or camping.
Coral Gables · Biscayne Bay · Est. Chapter 2026
ATOLLPOOL
A man-made tidal lagoon on Biscayne Bay, shallow flats stretching to the horizon, and the downtown skyline across the water. Book your session here and skip straight to the launch.
Atoll pool and open bay flats◆Open sunrise to sunset, 365 days◆Marina, pavilions, nature trails◆Downtown skyline across the water◆Prime season November to April◆Coral Gables, 15 minutes from Brickell◆Atoll pool and open bay flats◆Open sunrise to sunset, 365 days◆Marina, pavilions, nature trails◆Downtown skyline across the water◆Prime season November to April◆Coral Gables, 15 minutes from Brickell◆
Local experiences
BOOK YOUR DAY ON THE WATER
Run by local Matheson Hammock instructors. Small groups, all gear included, tide-aware scheduling.
Buying direct means navigating the county system and their order flow. Buy it here and you skip all of it — one form, one card, and the pass is issued to your email.
Your pass is issued in your name and delivered straight to your email. Nothing ships, so there is nothing to wait for.
What each one covers
Individual — one named holder, who must be present to use it. Anyone with you enters at two dollars a head.
Family — day-use entry for up to eight people arriving as a group, with up to two named holders on the pass. If one of your group turns up separately, the original receipt admits that one person.
Both are good at all Miami-Dade County parks for twelve months, and both run to the end of the month you bought them in, a year on.
Discounts we cannot sell you
Miami-Dade County residents may qualify for reduced parking fees. Senior and disability discounts require proof shown in person at the park office.
Buy those at the gate. We will not charge you for something you can get cheaper by showing a document. More at the park →
The small print
Passes are non-transferable and not valid for organized groups, clubs, agencies, churches or commercial use. Duplicates are not issued.
Entry is never guaranteed once the park reaches capacity — a county rule, not ours. Refunds run through Miami-Dade Parks and we will help you chase it.
You can absolutely buy all of this yourself. The convenience is the product.
Everything here
A WHOLE BAY OF SOMETHING TO DO
Every one of these is bookable through us. Tap anything.
Park entry is the cheap part. This is the rest of the day.
Most booked
FLATWATER DAY
$149 / rider
Two hours on the Biscayne Bay flats with a chapter instructor on the water. Park entry on us, your own kite and board on you. For riders who can stay upwind.
Private, one-on-one, shallow bay water. One hour on the shore for safety and kite control, two in the water for board starts and first rides. All gear and park entry included. No experience needed.
Launch at Matheson, ride south along the bay toward Chicken Key, land at a pickup point. Guide rides with you, chase support the whole way, van back to your car. Own gear, intermediate and up, six max.
Ride the shallow Biscayne Bay flats south of the marina, anchor up for lunch, ride back with the afternoon breeze. Guide, boat support, lunch and park entry included. Own gear, six max.
Board, battery, helmet and vest provided. Fifteen minutes on the shore, forty-five on the bay as the light goes gold and the skyline lights up. Two riders, one instructor. No experience needed.
On the western shore of Biscayne Bay in Coral Gables, fifteen minutes south of Brickell. The atoll pool is a sheltered tidal lagoon built into the coral rock — calm, shallow, perfect for first sessions. Step beyond it and the bay flats open up: waist-deep water, light chop, and the downtown Miami skyline across the horizon.
KiteboardingWingfoilKayakSnorkel
01
THE FLAT
It is the reason riders who live in Miami still call this their home spot, and the reason first-timers who would be terrified anywhere else are riding by the afternoon. Nothing about this water punishes a mistake.
Launch from the shoreline south of the marina. Ride the open bay flats — shallow, forgiving, and wide enough that you are never in anyone's way.
NOV — APRThe seasonCold fronts push east and northeast winds across the bay for days at a time. The flats light up and the parking lot fills early.
E / NEThe money directionCross-onshore across the bay. Clean, consistent, and it builds through the afternoon. Southeast thermals work in summer.
LOW TIDEStanding depthDrops the whole flat to ankle and knee depth. High tide is deeper and softer — better for foiling and sending jumps.
JUN — OCTHurricane seasonLight and hot, better for paddling and the atoll pool than for kites. The county closes the park ahead of any named storm.
SUNRISE — SUNSETEvery single dayThe park does not close for holidays. Open sunrise to sunset, 365 days a year. Parking fills on forecast weekends.
Before you go
WHAT NOBODY TELLS YOU
01
Wear the bootiesCoral rock and oyster shell along the shoreline. Not a dealbreaker, but learning barefoot here is a bad afternoon.
02
Parking fills fastOn a forecast weekend the lot is full by ten. Arrive early or carpool — there is no overflow.
03
Roll your linesFamilies, joggers and dog walkers share the shoreline. Roll up whenever you are not flying.
04
Stay south of the marinaRide the open flats south of the marina entrance. Boat traffic uses the channel north of it.
05
The atoll pool is not a launchThe man-made tidal pool is for swimming and wading. Launch from the open shoreline, not inside the pool walls.
06
Book kit before a forecast weekendWe keep gear on site, but the good sizes go first. Reserve ahead and it is rigged and waiting when you pull in.
See it first
A WORKING WIND DAY
The Atoll Pool
A LAGOON CARVED INTO THE CORAL
Atoll poolBay flatsMarina
02
THE ATOLL POOL
A man-made tidal lagoon built into the coral rock in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The bay fills it at high tide and leaves a calm, shallow pool behind — perfect for families, waders, and anyone who wants flat water without the bay chop.
Beyond the pool the open Biscayne Bay flats stretch south toward Chicken Key. The marina sits north, the mangrove trail wraps the western shore, and the downtown skyline fills the view east. All of it inside a single county park, fifteen minutes from Brickell.
Matheson Hammock sits on 630 acres of tropical hardwood hammock, mangrove shoreline and open Biscayne Bay. The park is one of the oldest in Miami-Dade County, built by the CCC in the 1930s on land donated by Commodore W. J. Matheson. Wading birds, ospreys and the occasional manatee share the shoreline with riders, paddlers and families.
The shop
THE GEAR WE RIDE
Kit we ride ourselves, sold at normal shop prices and fulfilled by our network partner. Rent it, buy it, or bring your own — not our business which.
09Old Cutler Trail accessPaved bike and pedestrian trail runs along Old Cutler Road past the park entrance.
10Bay flats — paddle routeOpen-water paddle south along the Biscayne Bay shoreline. Shallow at low tide. Paddle options →
11Chicken KeySmall mangrove island south in the bay. Visible from the launch, reachable by paddle or downwinder.
How it got here
A COMMODORE'S GIFT
1930
William J. Matheson made his fortune in chemicals and dyes, bought a winter estate on a key off the Coral Gables shoreline, and then gave the whole thing to Miami-Dade County for a public park.
The Civilian Conservation Corps arrived in the 1930s and carved the atoll pool out of the coral rock by hand — a tidal swimming lagoon that fills at high water and holds calm behind its walls at low. They built the shelters, the roads and the seawall, and most of it still stands.
What Matheson’s donation preserved is 630 acres of tropical hardwood hammock, mangrove shore and open Biscayne Bay frontage, all of it inside the city limits of Coral Gables and fifteen minutes from downtown Miami.
You are riding on a gift from 1930. Worth remembering at the launch.
Been here?
TELL THE NEXT RIDER
Reviews on Google are how most people find Matheson Hammock. Two minutes from you helps the park more than you’d think.
01Why book through you instead of just showing up?
Because on a forecast weekend the parking lot fills before the wind peaks. Book a session through us and your gear, instructor and spot are locked in before you leave the house. You could absolutely show up on your own — the convenience is the whole product and we are not going to pretend otherwise.
02How much is parking?
Seven dollars per vehicle, collected at the gate. Walk-ins and bicycles enter free. There is no annual pass sold through us — that runs through Miami-Dade Parks directly.
03Does the park rent kiteboarding gear?
No. The park has no kite or wing rentals of its own. Anything with a kite on it, you bring it or you arrange it through us.
04Where exactly can I launch?
From the open shoreline south of the marina. The atoll pool is for swimming only — do not launch inside it. Stay clear of the marina channel and the swimming areas, and give other park visitors plenty of room.
05Can I swim in the atoll pool?
Yes — it is open to everyone with park entry. The pool fills at high tide and stays calm behind its coral walls. No lifeguard on duty.
06What if the parking lot is full when I arrive?
The county closes the gate when the lot reaches capacity. There is no overflow parking. Arrive early on forecast weekends, or ride a bike in — walk-ins are free.
07Who are you, exactly?
World Wind Sports — a rider community built around local chapters at real launch spots, each with named host riders. This is the Matheson Hammock chapter. We are not Miami-Dade County Parks and we do not run or administer the park. We ride here as guests.
The forecast fills the parking lot. Be there first.
WIND ALERTSThe forecast lines up at Matheson Hammock and your phone goes off. Not a daily digest, not a morning summary — the moment the models lock in.
SESSION PRIORITYFirst pick on guided sessions, lessons and downwinders when the calendar opens.
SESSION DAYA standing spot on the monthly chapter ride. Show up alone, leave with a crew.
Your booking is valid only on the date selected and entry is not guaranteed once the park reaches capacity. We confirm your session and send details to the email above before your visit.
