Dexter Filming Locations: Hobie Beach

The location: Hobie Beach

Q. What is it supposed to be on the show?

A. A beach.

Q. Where is it supposed to be on the show?

A. Hobie Beach, in Miami.

Q. When did we see it on the show?

A. In Episode 8, of Season 7, "Argentina".

We first see Jamie on the beach, helping Harrison build a sand castle.

Dexter shows up with a popsicle for his young son.

He then sees his step-daughter, Astor, sitting alone, and goes to talk with her.

She tells him that the beach reminds her of her late mother (Rita), but that it no longer seems like home. And neither does Orlando, where she's now living.

Dexter commiserates.

She tells him that if her grandparents find out about the pot (which they found on her at Angel's beach cafe), they will think that she is turning into her father.

He tells her that when he was young, someone (Harry) told him told him who he was, and he took his word for it. And that if he had taken the time to figure it out for himself, he would have turned out different.

Just then, Dexter gets a phone called from Hannah (who left her keys in his van), and minutes later, she shows up at the beach.

Seeing Jamie with the kids, at first Hannah thinks Dexter is romantically involved with her. But Dexter explains about the family situation, and that Jamie is just his nanny.

Hannah tells him he's lucky, because no one knows who he really is. She says that wherever she goes, her criminal reputation follows her.

Q. What is it actually in real life?

A. A beach - just not in Miami.

Q. Where can I find it in real life?

A. This is actually Long Beach (no big surprise there). But this particular section of the Long Beach coast is known as Alamitos Beach -- probably because of Alamitos Avenue, which marks the area's west edge. (Alamitos Avenue is what Shoreline Drive is called north of Ocean Blvd.)

It's on the far east edge of the Shoreline Marina and its long parking lot - where the marina/lot ends and the beach begins.

If you're familiar with the landmark Villa Riviera (at Shoreline Drive & Ocean Blvd), it's the beach just below that building.

You can also see Viktor's apartment tower (the International Tower) in the background.

(There's an interesting bit of Dexter trivia regarding the real Hobie beach: Way back in the third episode of the very first season of Dexter - when they were still really filming in Miami - they shot a funeral scene on the actual Hobie Beach.)

I shot the photo below in 2012, looking up, northwest, from the beach.
Note the identical background.

Here is an aerial photo of the location. Here is a Google StreetView. And here is a map link.

Q. How the heck did you figure out where it was?

A. Visible in the background of this shot are two Long Beach landmarks. One is the International Tower, which played the role of Viktor's apartment tower this season. The other is the Villa Riviera, which is across the street. So it was obvious where the scene was shot.

And this isn't the first time they filmed here. They shot the birthday party scene here that ended the 5th season. And earlier, in the 3rd season, they shot the scene of Miguel Prado's beach fiesta, and of Dexter & Miguel sitting on the beach. Alfredo's, the nearby snack stand (which can also be glimpsed in the background of this scene), was used in the taqueria scene where Debra met Anton.

I've been here on several occasions to shoot photos of the beach, including the one above.

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All other photos & text are Copyright © 2012-Gary Wayne and may not be used without written permission.

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