My Adventure Story
This kayak trip was done at a leisurely pace so we could enjoy the manatees. Personally, it was more like keeping the dry side up as we paddled above those gentle giants. If you've never had your kayak tipped over by a manatee, it's a shocking experience and best done in the summer. The water was comfortably warm, but the air temperature very brisk. It was 30 degrees when I arrived at the launch site this morning. So getting back in your boat after an inadvertent dunk would be chilling.
Everywhere we paddled, we saw manatees - different shapes and sizes - but mostly they were huge! I heard someone say that the larger manatees are females. If that's true, then the boys were definitely outnumbered today.
Seeing manatees was the main focus of the trip, but the low tide brought out all manner of creatures. We enjoyed watching them too as they picked their way through the exposed muddy banks looking for edible morsels. This made for great photo opportunities. However, one must understand the dynamics of taking photos from a bobbing kayak. Things to consider: wind, waves, reaching for a camera with one hand while maintaining control of the boat with the other - all done with the speed and agility needed to capture those elusive subjects before they disappear.
Somehow I managed to get a few good photos. The underwater pix were taken with my Olympus720 SW (waterproof, shock proof) camera while sitting comfortably in my kayak and holding it just below the surface. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't... today it worked perfectly. Enjoy.
