pawatt wrote:
Where, what was great and what could have been better and whatever else you wish to share.
We snowbird in the Florida Keys. If your are a paddler, a fisherman or a drinker it is a fabulous place.
We are just paddlers and the upper Keys for us gives us the best opportunity since we can Paddle in Florida Bay. the Atlantic or the southern Everglades national Park which is only a half hour from Key Largo.
I haven't done yesterdays trip report, but as soon as I get it done I'll post it here.
Yesterdays trip report:
Wednesday - April 4.
Today was probably the most fun we have had all winter paddling our paddle boards in the South Largo Sound mangrove gardens. We waded with and played with Nurse Sharks. We headed for a place that we nick named "Shark Flats" since every time we paddle there whether we are in our kayaks or on the paddleboards, there are too many Lemon, Nurse and Bonnet Head sharks to count. It is located between two small mangrove keys and has a beautiful sand bottom , and evidently the way the tide sweeps through it provides good feeding grounds for the sharks. After circling around with all of them for a bit instead of going between the two little Keys we decided to go behind one and as we rounded the corner of it we came to a another tiny water way passage, just a few feet wide between it and the next mangrove Key and were absolutely amazed to see six Nurse Sharks lying on the bottom all in a row with the head of one touching the tail of the next in line. Then there was a smaller one by itself just beside the last one. I checked the bottom with my paddle to make sure I wouldn't sink, and it was nice firm sand, so I got off the board about five feet behind it in chest deep water with the intent to try and catch it by the tail, (I usually get one each year this way). It sensed me and turned around and swam slowly right passed me. Since I was already in the crystal clear water I decided to wade up to the line up and see if they would move. When I was right behind the last one and it didn't even sense me I reached out with my foot and touched it's tail with my shoe. Then it slowly turned and came right on by. I didn't realize it but Nanci got off her board and came wading up also so she could watch. There were two big ones, about five feet long, two four footers and two three footers. One by one I did the same thing, and each one would turn and swim right by our legs. I didn't realize it, but Nanci stirred up the sand and there was a cloud of it around her legs, (and bare feet) and the last one which was a five footer swam right into the cloud, and as it passed her it's body rubbed against her leg .
When the fun was over and all was said and done, we headed for our little hidden salt water jacuzzi with it's beautiful sand bottom where the water flows in through a small mangrove tunnel and out the other end through another one and just sat in the water watching the salt water aquarium fish swimming around us.
Naturally, my underwater camera was back in the trailer, so we'll have to go back tomorrow and see if we can have a repeat of the day .
Miles paddled = 6.0 (on the paddleboards)
Total miles paddled for the winter = 303.5
Jack L
Jack & Nanci
