Kayaking in the Florida Keys

B I G   P I N E   K E Y, Fla., Oct. 20, 2003 -- A caravan of kayaks snakes through anarrow opening in a mangrove forest in the back country waters ofthe lower Florida Keys.

Inside, the sun peeks through a canopy of twisted branches aboveand illuminates the leaf-stained red water below.

The path along this natural creek was cut away in the early1900s, likely by European settlers, and now provides a glimpse ofthe unique keys ecosystem to tourists and locals who take the timeto observe baby snappers fighting the current and tarantula-lookingtree crabs climbing the branches.

"The slower you go, the more you see," said kayaking guideBill Keogh, who offers daily guided tours.

The Lure of Soft Adventure

Kayaking is growing in popularity among tourists looking to getaway from it all in the Florida Keys, said Harold Wheeler,marketing director for the Monroe County Tourist DevelopmentCouncil.

The tourism council doesn't keep statistics on kayaking,but rentals and paddling lessons are sprouting up all over theKeys.

"It's what we consider soft adventure travel," Wheeler said."A lot of people are interested in that soft adventure now."

The draw of Big Pine Kayak Adventures is the 44-year-old Keogh,who has become an expert on the Keys ecosystem during the pastdecade as a guide.

He explains which sea grasses are edible, points out thedifference between a heron and an egret and tells how mangrovesdrop their green bean-like seeds during hurricane season for betterdispersion. Keogh focuses on the details of the environment, notthe distance covered in a kayak.

"Enjoy the trip, don't worry about the destination," he said."We don't go fast and we don't go far."

The trip begins about 30 miles east of Key West on Big Pine Key.Nestled in the overlapping Key Deer National Wildlife Refuge andGreat White Heron National Wildlife Refuge on the backroads of theisland, a giant yellow kayak greets visitors in front of the marinaat Old Wooden Bridge Fishing Camp. Keogh sets each visitor inside a plastic kayak and leads thesmall group out to the open water, where thick seaweed sometimespokes through the water and traps errant kayaks.

First he paddles under a large concrete bridge that leads to NoName Key — the only inhabited island in the Florida Keys withoutelectricity, he says. A black cable under the bridge delivers thenecessities — cable and telephone service. They use solar power andgenerators for electricity, he said.

Water Alive With Activity

That's about the only human development to be seen on thethree-hour, mile-long tour. Instead, Keogh reveals that the waterthat looked so calm is buzzing with activity.

"Did you see the fish jumping? Just to the left of the boat?"Keogh asks.

He points to a loggerhead turtle swimming into the shadow castby the bridge.

A long, slender fish meanders by — identified as a babybarracuda.

And the round, flower-shaped objects that look like coral in theshallow water are actually upside down jellyfish, he says.

Keogh leads the group a few yards away to a sea grass flat — abed of sea grass that looks like a field ready for harvest — whereat least 50 herons and egrets are snacking on fish hidden betweenthe blades of grass exposed at low tide.

Here the kayaks stop and the people grow quiet. The birds drawcloser. One, stalking a fish, comes about 10 feet away from akayak. It darts its head down, then flips its head up andstraightens its neck to swallow.

Keogh lets the group — a grandmother and granddaughter fromOklahoma and the two relatives they are visiting in nearbySugarloaf Key — take a break with the fruit and drinks they broughtalong in a cooler. Some cool off in the water, others reapplysunscreen.

Mangrove Branches As Paddles

Then he leads the group into the narrow creek through themangroves for the rest of the tour.

Soon the kayakers abandon their paddles in favor of grabbing themangrove branches with their hands and pulling themselves upstream.The path widens to about the length of a paddle as the group movesless than a mile up stream, then stops because the stream is tooshallow at low tide.

Deep inside the mangrove, shaded by the canopy of branches, oneof the kayakers, Gina Whelchel, pulls out her snorkel and gets outof the boat to see the baby mangrove snappers up close.

The rest of the kayakers pause and listen to the droning of thecicada bugs, sticking their hands in the water to feel the seaweedand relaxing in the cool shadows of the mangrove forest that feelsmuch farther than just a few miles off U.S. 1.

"Being in the mangrove forest to me is one of the most specialplaces to be," said Whelchel, who recently moved back to SugarLoaf Key. "You can barely hear the drone from the road."

Keogh gets out of the boat and stands in the water. He reachesto a branch that is covered with mangrove tree crabs — blackcreatures about the size of a quarter that look more liketarantulas than crabs.

He picks one up and lets it walk across his hand, but the littlecrab got away from him and crawled on his back, much to theamusement of the kayakers.

Soon he leads the group back out of the creek, as the currentcarries them through the mangrove tunnel. Crabs scurry up thebranches as the path opens up into the bay.

"Pretty much I'm really happy with that little creek upthere," Keogh said. "I could spend every day of my life upthere." If You Go…

LOCATION: Big Pine Kayak Adventures is located on Bogie Drive inBig Pine Key, about three miles off U.S. 1. PRICE: Kayak Nature Tours depart daily at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3p.m. The three-hour tours cost $50. Half-day custom back countrytours cost $240 for two people and $50 for each additional person. CONTACT: For Big Pine Kayak Adventures, call (877) 595-2925 or(305) 872-7474, or visit www.keyskayaktours.com. The Florida KeysVisitors Bureau is at (800) FLA-KEYS. Old Wooden Bridge FishingCamp has a Web site at www.oldwoodenbridge.com, and the MonroeCounty Tourism Development Council offers information atwww.fla-keys.com.