Calema Windsurfing and Watersports, Merritt Island

Every instructor at Calema Windsurfing and Watersports knows his or her stuff. Each one has personally trained with Calema's owner Tinho Dornellas, a master instructor who also designed the first surf ski with John Byde, whose father later patented it. Dornellas knows water sports like the back of his hands—which he probably used to make whatever windsurfing board he's currently riding. They also teach Windsurfing, Sailing, Kayaking and Stand-up Paddling.

Dornellas started using fiberglass composites to shape his own kayaks, surfboards, and windsurfing boards in the 1970s, and he and his wife Susie (a former windsurfing student) have kept up with advances in the field. Today, for instance, the shop also rents standup paddleboards, riding a resurgence in the Hawaiian sport.

Calema is ideally located for just about any aquatic activity, except maybe kraken-fishing. The Atlantic Ocean stretches to the east, and the Banana River flows right by the store, letting kayaks and standup paddle boards float straight into waters shard by dolphins and manatees. Beyond gear rentals and instruction, Calema also hosts windsurfing races.