Best 5 Places to Buy Surf Gear in St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine, Florida, is a wonderful place to visit especially if you are into board sports like surfing. Accordingly, there are quite a few shops in the area where you can either buy or rent surfboards and other water sport related items. Here's a quick look at a few of the best places to gear up:

1. Surf Station

The Surf Station is located on Anastasia Boulevard and sells new surfboards and surf apparel. It is one of three St. Augustine surf shops owned by Tory Strange. The other two are the Girl Next Door Surf Shop and the Surf Station 2 "The Deuce." The ladies will undoubtedly appreciate The Girl Next Door Surf Shop. Not only does it sell all we ladies need to hit the beach, it has a female staff. You'll feel at ease shopping there. It is also located on Anastasia Boulevard. The Surf Station 2 "The Deuce" is located on A1A South and offers customers a wide array of used surf equipment. All three shops are open daily with varying hours of operation. Mr. Strange is also purportedly in the process of opening a fourth store that will carry surf related home décor and furniture. His stores are some of the best around in terms of service, selection and price.

2. Pit Surf Shop

The Pit Surf Shop is located on A Street in St. Augustine Beach. It sells a wide variety of new, vintage and used surfboards as well as surf apparel, skateboards and skate accessories. Surfboard rentals, surf lessons and custom shaping services are also available. Prices for used surfboards tend to start at $75. Hours of operation vary.

3. Aqua East Surf Shop

The Aqua East Surf Shop is located on South A1A Street in St. Augustine Beach. The shop offers visitors a wide array of surfboards, wetsuits, surf apparel, surf accessories and skateboards. The service is satisfactory and the prices are realistic. You can ordinarily pick up a rashguard for $30 and a Men's Quiksilver full syncro wetsuit with a 4/3 chest zip for $153. It opens daily at 9 a.m.

4. Ocean Extreme Sports

Looking for a stand up paddle board or a kiteboard? Check out the Ocean Extreme Sports shop on A1A South. It also features water sports apparel and kitesurfing lessons. The shop opens Monday through Friday at 9 a.m. and on Saturdays at 10 a.m.

5. High Tide Gallery

Are vintage and collectable surfboards more to your liking? If so, you'll want to stop by the High Tide Gallery on Cordova Street. I should warn you, it isn't a traditional surf shop. It is an artist's gallery that sells surf related artwork and jewelry as well as vintage and collectible surfboards. I felt compelled to mention it though because the surfboards the store does sell are gorgeous. It opens daily with varying hours of operation.

Killeen Gonzalez enjoys water sports with her family and has a history of interviewing pro surfers.

More from this contributor:

Billabong's Financial Woes Impacts Surfing Community

Top 5 Fishing Charters in St. Augustine, Florida

5 Things to Avoid When Buying a Used Surfboard

Surfboard Buying Tips for Beginners

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.