South Florida Kayaking Adventures

Barracuda Bites Kayaker in Keys - in the Kayak

2010-10-20T11:58:00.000-07:00

Breaking news from Big Pine Key (where me and Liz camped when she was pregnant with Owen and took out our Gheenoe with 9 horse outboard)...

A woman was in a double kayak with a friend when a frikkin barracuda jumped out of the water and bit her.

Check out the whole story here.

To all the barracudas out there: I am not afraid.

Gators? What gators?

2010-07-06T06:59:00.000-07:00

Hit the Loxahatchee River run again this weekend. Rain clouds threatened. But drifted away from the area. Made the hour long run down to the second dam. Water level was very high which made it much easier than the first time we ran this stretch, floated right over all those sunken logs. Had a picnic at the second and did some swimming and riding over the dam in the mini rapid it created. Owen had a lot of fun swimming around.

Useppa Island

2010-06-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

So Liz's dad is now a member of the Useppa Island Club. It's a very small private island with multimillion dollar "cottages" and an upscale B n B. He docks his Sea Ray there weeks at a time.

Useppa is north of Sanibel and Captiva, almost at Boca Grande. It's in, I believe Pine Island Sound.

We took the ferry over from Key West lite Pine Island. We, of course, brought our one man inflatable. It's a very natural area right on the intracoastal with only a few barrier island separating from the the Gulf of Mexico. Mangrove islands abound. Saw jellyfish (Liz got stung while cleaning her dad's boat hull), dolphins (at one point they played in the boat's wake), pelicans, gopher tortoises, and just a ton of birds.

I got two short paddles in - it was just too hot. But we did take the dinghy out to Cabbage Key and Cayo Costa state park.

First trip since November

2010-04-23T10:48:00.000-07:00

Cold weather. Trying to buy a house. Trips to Disney. Plain laziness.

Many things conspired to keep us off the water... but yesterday we finally made it out... for a short after-work run down the intracoastal, under the Linton Blvd. bridge, past multimillion dollar mansions.

And now that the kayak is on top of the car and all the gear is packed we'll probably make it out this weekend too.

Finally Made It to Munyon Island

2009-11-23T10:41:00.000-08:00

On our third trip we finally made it to Munyon Island in John D. MacArthur State Park. Perfect weather and great water conditions.

And James, my brother, made it with us - his first kayaking trip. (Check out this totally unrelated video James made - the music is his own - performed and produced - and he used public domain footage for the visuals.)

We went approached the island as we have in the past, saw a group of at least two manatees on the way out. We went around the north side and then entered the man made mangrove trail. Found a little place to "park" the 'yaks next to the walkway that connects the picnic pavilions. We hit the beach on the west side. It sits right across the water (intracoastal/Lake Worth lagoon) from a bunch of mansions in what I think is Riviera Beach. We sat there for a couple of hours watching the yachts and fishing boats go by. Owen had fun playing in the water, especially when the boats kicked up some waves.

After returning to shore, we made our way to the Dune Dog Cafe in Jupiter - our favorite post kayaking trip spot.

Loxahatchee Swamp Crawl

2009-09-04T15:18:00.000-07:00

Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge – this is not the river run we love. This is slog through a canoe trail off one of the interminable canals that run through the ‘glades. Lots of gators and bugs. I say slog because it was hot and sunny and the canoe trail was full of lily pads and water plants. We got stuck good once. And the rest of the time was hard going. It’s hard to paddle when you keep hitting huge root balls and plant stalks. We did the 5.5 miles in about 2 ½ hours. The rangers said, “Don’t worry ‘bout the gators.” But why didn’t they mention the plant-infested canoe trail? Still fun but we won’t be going back.

John D. McArthur part 2

2009-09-04T15:01:00.000-07:00

We headed back to find Munyon Island… and found it. A relatively quick paddle brought us to a sandbar/beach on the northwest side. But then a swiftly rolling thunderstorm found us. So we hightailed it back to the launch. We made it as far as the bridge when the rain came pouring down and lightening came (not too close – but still). We chilled under the bridge for about an hour until it died down.

By the way, this was my mother-in-law’s first time kayaking ever. She did have fun. (Side note: the first time my wife and I took her camping – to the beautiful on the water Big Pine Key Fishing Lodge in the Florida Keys – we found ourselves in near tropical storm force winds the entire weekend. So we have quite a record when it comes to taking her on “adventures.”)

On the way we did see a group of two or three manatees poking their snouts out of the water for air. Awesome.

John D. MacArthur Beach State Park

2009-08-29T03:42:00.000-07:00

After a several month drought, we finally made it out on the water last weekend. John D. MacArthur Beach State Park is in North Palm Beach, about 45 minutes from our house. Sits right on the Lake Worth Lagoon. Put in is right next to the parking lot, so getting out on the water is very pain-free.

Great sheltered mangrove area at the start. You head north out of the cove, under the bridge (lots of folks fishing) and then out into the Lagoon proper. Apparently we missed the main attraction: Munyon Island. It's accessible by boat only, with a beautiful beach and mangrove canoe/kayak trails. Sun was high in the sky. But the sea breeze kept the temp comfortable.

Cool thing was we got to try out our new kayak. It's an inflatable from Advanced Elements called the Advanced Frame. It's high-quality and a great boat. Very maneuverable. Solid. Light. Easy to set up and fits in a bag you could check on the plane. It's coming with us on our next beach vacation for sure. Here's what it looks like:

We're heading out to John D. this weekend. This time we'll make Munyon. Apparently you have to watch the tides though. Stay tuned.

Wekiva River... maybe

2009-05-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

Making a trip up to Orlando this weekend for Memorial Day, staying with the folks. SeaWorld Saturday. Planned to take the Wekiva River Kings Landing to Wekiva Marina run on Sunday. About a 5 hour trip. Been several years since we did it. And never in a kayak, always a canoe.

Looking forward to it. And recent heavy rains would probably have made things very interesting.

But it might be a no go. Thunderstorms forecast all weekend. Don't want to get stuck out there in a storm.

Stay tuned for updates.

Lovers Key and Sanibel... Again

2009-05-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

It was double paddling for the Holland family over the weekend. A quick visit to Liz's dad's place in Fort Myers gave us plenty of places to choose from... the Fort Myers - Naples - Marco Island area is full of trails, launch spots, etc. Here's a complete rundown: The Great Calusa Blueway.

We did the canoe/kayak trail in Lovers Key State Park on Saturday. About two hours on the water, mostly made up of very wide channel through mangroves. Owen didn't have the endurance to make the whole 7-mile rountrip. But we did make it to Estero Bay - too much powerboat traffic to stay too long. And saw a lot of herons, jumping mullet, and crabs clinging to the mangroves.

The next day we went back to Sanibel, J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge to be exact. We went back to the outfitter (Tarpon Bay Outfitters I think they're called) that we used to rent canoes and kayaks from, before we got our own. They did charge us $7 to put in. We did the Commodore Creek trail, which winds us through mangroves and small lagoons for about two hours, for I think the 5th time. But it's still fun, you can see a lot of fish in the clear water: mullet, sheepshead, was a that a catfish?, etc. This time we saw a raccoon and tons of ospreys diving in for a fresh catch.

Owen (in the Mickey Mouse ears straw hat above with Liz in front in Tarpon Bay) loves to see all the animals, although it did get quite hot when we weren't in the shaded spots... and he let us know it.

Summer's coming up and it's going to get HOTTER. So don't know how long Owen will be able to continue to join us on the water. Another note: don't forget to put sunscreen on your legs... somehow I didn't think that off that... and have the burns to help me remember next time.

Sanibel and Captiva

2009-05-04T19:38:00.000-07:00

On the southwest coast lies to barrier islands that, although filled with small hotels and big resorts, have minimal development and most land is given over to natural areas.

And it's great paddling, whether you like mangrove tunnels, the open ocean, or protected bays. Lots of backwater fishing too. Most trips are kid-friendly, but watch those tides. You can be left stranded in inches of water in some areas.

Here's a great site, with information on a variety of trips and outfitters in the area:

www.clubkayak.com/cfkt/trips/sanibel_island.html

Florida Kayaking Guides

2009-05-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

A good kayaking guidebook is essential to finding good trips in Florida. And luckily there are many books that include the many river, lakes, and offshore trips throughout the state. They tell you about locations, how to get there, give route maps, ability levels, etc.

Here's a few good ones I know:

A great beginner's guide

Fishing from your kayak is huge in Florida!

With such a huge coastline (not to mention the Keys), sea kayaking is big too!

Florida-specific maps and routes and trips

Another great Florida guide

Keys-centric guide, 50 trips in our little slice of the Caribbean

Loxahatchee River Trip - Classic Florida Paddling

2009-04-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for a true Florida kayaking/canoeing experience... you must do the Loxahatchee River run. Start in Riverbend Park. Then head down the narrow river, banks full of bald cypress, tropical plants growing on branches and trunks... and keep an eye out for gators, turtles, herons, egrets, and - if you're a fisherman - plenty of fish in the water. It's shaded most the way, so perfect for a hot summer day. (Pic above from Jonathan Dickinson State Park website)

You can do a two-hour there and back trip to a picnic spot at the second dam. Or keep going downriver for a more extensive paddle. You'll eventually hit Jonathan Dickinson State Park, which is more of a mangrove area that eventually hits the ocean. More boat traffic here too.

My kayak

2009-04-29T20:00:00.000-07:00

Liz, Owen, and I have an Ocean Kayak Zest Two. We got it used with all the extras - rudder, seats, and cut-outs for storage.

It's the perfect size for bringing a small child. And very stable. It's tough to load on top of the van. But we're getting better each time. And a bit heavy to carry to put in sites... but we're getting one of these two-wheeled carts for that.

I really like the Zest Two, but I'd recommend any Ocean Kayak model - single or tandem. Here's the Malibu Two XL. We almost got this one. But couldn't pass up the used Zest with all the features.

Kayaking in the Keys

2009-04-28T14:15:00.000-07:00

So we just got back from a weekend kayaking trip to Key Largo - that's the northernmost Florida Key to those not in the know. Unfortunately, 20-30 knot winds limited our planned offshore excursions. (but not my beer drinking, as you can see at left)

We did hit up the state park on the island, John Pennekamp, for a paddle through the mangroves. Out of the wind, we had a good time. Not as much fish or wildlife as we've seen in similar environments in Sanibel Island on the west coast of Florida. But Liz did notice fire sponges, which our guidebook mentioned as being wickedly painful.

Back at the campsite, Key Largo Kampground and RV Park, we did a bit of fishing and stumbled on some local wildlife: woodpeckers in the tree above the tent, upside down jellyfish in a couple inches of water off the small beach, as well as hermit crabs.

If it wasn't so windy we would have explored the waters right off the campsite. There is a boat ramp and beach that make launching easy.

Bonus tip: On the way south to the Keys, turn left on Card Sound Road after you get through Florida City. This is a much less traveled route to Key Largo, plus you get to stop at Alabama Jack's to get some great crab cakes.

Kayaking Florida

2009-04-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

My name is Jason. And I'm a kayaker. I'm privileged to live in Florida, with abundant opportunities for paddling in many different environments from spring-fed rivers, to mangrove islands, to the Everglades, to the ocean, and beyond.

I'll tell you about all my adventures kayaking with my wife, Liz, and our 2 1/2 son, Owen (he loves being on the water). From the Everglades and the Florida Keys to the crystal-clear rivers of Central and North Florida, I'll document it in words and pictures. Hopefully, you'll find a trip you're interested in and make it out yourself.