Manatees/Sunset/Bioluminescence Tour

Overview

Experience everything the wildlife refuge has to offer with three distinct experiences packed into one three-hour tour! Launch your kayak in the daylight and surround yourself with Florida’s most-loved endangered species, West Indian Manatees! Sit back while the gentle giants roll, sniff, and nuzzle all around you. Dolphins are also active this time of day as they wrangle their dinner in the adjacent cove.

Next, head out to Bird Island, a federally protected rookery, to watch hundreds of birds soar in overhead. Ibis, herons, egrets, pelicans, cormorants, and roseate spoonbills and more all glide in their flocks to nest for the night. Be lulled into serenity by the gently rocking kayak as the sun descends for the night in the pinks, oranges, and reds of sunset.

Finally, the tour culminates in the season’s bioluminescent experience, whether it be summer bioluminescence, winter comb jelly bioluminescence, or a star-studded moonlit sky.

City: Cocoa Beach

Tue 24 Dec

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $95.00

Make a reservation

Tue 24 Dec

Starting at $95.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Kayak

Professional guide

PFD

Paddle

2 hour kayak tour

Additional Info

Suitable for all physical fitness levels
What to bring:
Clothes you don’t mind getting a little wet. Towel (left in car)
Water Shoes – sandals or Crocs that can be worn in the water
Bring an extra change of clothes just in case
Camera & Dry bag (optional) These are fairly useless to capture bioluminescence, but great for capturing people.
Bottled water, Snacks
Any special personal paddling gear if you like
You may bring a flashlight, though we will provide a safety light.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (109)

rebeckaruud

Aug 2022

This kayak tour was one of the coolest experiences my family has done! We are Orlando locals so we were familiar with the Cape Canaveral area, but our tour guides were so informed that we learned so much more about the wildlife out there! Alex & Adrienne were fantastic and made sure we were well-informed on the safety procedures. Even if you are not an experienced kayaker, this is still fun for everyone as they walk you through all paddling methods before getting in the water. This was well worth the price and I recommend trying it at least once in your lifetime!

JohnG7005

Jul 2022

Great trip - definitely recommend. Worth taking a GoPro to film it all. Saw a luminous sting ray. Lots of manatees. Guides very good. Great when it’s dark and the water glows. Kids (8 and 12) were amazed by this. Had glow sticks to see each other in the dark. Easy to stay together as a group as long as you use your common sense.

LynnePerrault

Jul 2022

We did a 6:30-9:30 tour. The guides were friendly and thorough in prepping us (lifejackets, whistles etc). However it seemed too much time was spent that wasn't informative, and wasted time we could have been paddling. Didn't get in the water til after 7. When we booked it wasn't made clear that most kayaks were doubles- we wanted singles. Never thought to specify at booking, nor were we asked. So be sure to tell them in advance. They didn't hav enough singles for us. Because the water is brackish, don't expect an experience with clear water, which IMO is implied in their picturesque marketing.. We did see several manatees & dolphins- but again, with such dark water, don't expect to see the entire animal. We stopped at a calm inlet for a " sunset viewing ", which would be a fine idea if it hadn't been 45 min prior to actual sunset. Again..lots of down inactive downtime. One of the guides was assigned to remain at the back of our group. We'll, he did NOT, nor did anyone else. We ended up in complete darkness around 9 p.m. with no guide in view. Long story, but finally a different guide saw us trying to figure out where to go and guided us back to the launch/landing beach. BTW, I'm a fairly experienced kayaker. As for the "bioluminescence experience " it was far less than represented. I do not recommend this particular trip. Perhaps a shorter excursion, or try the glass bottom kayaks for a better experience. In any case, our excursion was overpriced and very disappointing