We rented stand up paddle boards from SoBe. We didn't do a tour because we wanted to go exploring and take our time, and honestly my husband didn't want to look like a fool in front of other people since he had never paddle boarded before :P
Gerard greeted us at their office/storage and gave us a quick 'how to'. He then led us in our car to their private launch area just a few blocks away where our stand up paddle boards awaited. He made sure we were good to go, gave a few locations to check out, and sent us on our way and to come back to this spot when we were done. I think we were out there for 3.5 hours! We would have been out there longer but it was pretty hot.
We saw so much wildlife! Aside from the fish and cool birds, we probably saw 50 sting rays in the estuaries. Best of all, we saw 4 manatees in the cove area that Gerard told us about. We spent a lot of time there just sitting quietly and watching. There were not a lot of people out despite being a holiday weekend. The manatees were the highlight! The area is perfect for paddling around estuaries and open water as well.
If you want an easy, affordable, low key way to see natural wildlife of Florida, definitely try SoBe. I appreciated how nice Gerard was and how we could do our own thing by renting, or take a tour that they also offer.