About ~ Livin' Salty ~

In 1972 Ron & Sara Henkel moved from the Chicago area and settled on Clearwater Beach with their 3 young sons Todd, Mike, and Ron Jr. Growing up on Clearwater Beach in the 70’s, and 80’s, it was the norm to run around shirtless, barefooted and with not a care in the world! The 3 brothers explored the nearby beaches and waterways, all the while innocently not realizing what a special place they grew up in. Watersports has always been a big part of growing up in and around the Gulf beaches and the very special Intracoastal Waterway (ICW)!

Livin' Salty SUP & Surf Shop was founded January 2015 born from a pure passion hobby from our Dunedin, FL garage and mobile rental operation. We turned our hobby into a brick-and-mortar business in 2017 opening our first shop in Tarpon Springs, FL! Our Clearwater, FL location is our new home since August 2020.

>> A word on the Intracoastal Waterway System:

The ICW is a navigational highway so to speak. The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) runs parallel to the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts from New Jersey to Texas at the Mexican border. Aids to navigation marking these waterways are with channel markers. The ICW portion of the Suncoast runs right up from the mouth of Tampa Bay north along the “water between the mainland and barrier islands” of the suncoast. Boca Ciega Bay, The Narrows, Clearwater Harbor and St Joseph Sound are part of this amazing system!

This is what inspired the creation of our very special original “map boards”!

~ Intracoastal Paddleboards!

~ STAY SALTY ~

Todd Henkel, owner