Went on an excellent ecotour of the mangrove swamps with one of their guides, Susanne, four months after Hurricane Irma. I was on a paddleboard and my friend was in a kayak. Susanne had studied marine biology, and her knowledge was encyclopedaic. I have an undergrad in biology, so could keep up with her explanations which were detailed and fascinating – so we geeked out. Saw the first sponge she’d seen since the hurricane – apparently sponges were hit hard by all the silting from the hurricane. Saw lots of tunicates, a link between the inverts like insects and mollusks, and the vertebrates like reptiles, birds and mammals including us humans. Susan also shared interesting stories about local life and her own lifestyle as a committed environmentalist – running the dairy and poultry operation of an organic farm in Maine for part of the year. Informative, friendly. Also ended up buying a kayak deck which was on sale at the shop. Want to go back for the nighttime tour with flashlights. We saw a Manatee in Tavernier creek, and we heard a really big fish jump in the Mangrove pond. Paddleboard instruction was also great, and she answered all my questions about paddle techniques. After the tour, felt much more connected to the mangrove swamps, and went back on my own in a kayak several times during my stay. So the tour gave me a sense of independence and appreciation. For the quality of the guidance and the equipment, I thought the rates were great. I wanted my friend to come, and Susanne encouraged me to reach out to him and didn’t mind waiting while he came down to the shop from where we were staying a mile away. She loves sharing her knowledge and wants as many people as possible to have a good experience of nature and the water in the Keys.
Polarized sunglasses allow you to see in the water better. Water bottle and suntan lotion. Croakies, or something like that, to keep you from losing your glasses/sunglasses. Definitely take a tour or do yoga or something on the water with Paddle! Florida Keys.