There are a number of different water sports such as skiing, tubing, knee boarding and wakeboarding to name a few. My experience has been primarily water skiing and tubing. Both are relatively easy and lots of fun.
The primary concern for finding good locations for water sports is deep enough water and an area which allows for speed since it is not a no wake zone. Some of these area are county designated water sports zones and some are ones people find and use on their own. Thee areas I have used or seen being used are in Sarasota, Venice and Englewood.
Sarasota’s Skiers Island – This is a designated area south of the north bridge to Siesta Key. The water is deep around the island and speed is allowed. The great thing about using this area is that if the boat goes around the island, then by the time you get back to the beginning of the loop the boat wake has dissipated. Two or three boats can use this area are a time.
Venice Roberts Bay – This is a designated area south east of the Venice Jetties. The water is deep around the island and speed is allowed. This is a pretty large area and sometime has quite a few active boats and jet skis.
Englewood’s Stump Pass – This is a NOT designated area and is located north of the pass to the Gulf of Mexico. The water is deep in this area and speed is allowed. Typically there will only be one boat at a time in this area.
By the way, my tip is to do your water sports from 5PM to sunset. The water is often calm at his time due to little boat traffic. Sometimes the water is like glass in this time window.