Guided Kayak EcoTour of Beautiful Shell Key Preserve
Overview
We'll meet everyone at the launch, do introductions, give waterproof bags, & get everyone prepped for kayaking. No experience needed as we'll give everyone a paddling overview! We use primarily double kayaks for ease+comfort.
(Your booking time is the planned arrival time. Average water depth 2 feet)
After that we'll get launched into Shell Key Preserve! The Preserve is a beautiful shallow environment with tons of wildlife & a very interesting ecosystem which we'll discuss plus the history of the Preserve!
From the shallow seagrass flats to the large mangrove islands to the pristine beaches of Shell Key itself we'll try and cover it all! Including traveling through some mangrove tunnels (with friendly tides, primarily Mar-Oct)
We'll also look for+talk about some of our incredible wildlife in the Preserve including dolphins, manatees, & other fish & birds!
Inclusions
- Sit on top kayaks and all needed equipment
What to expect
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Shell Key Shoal, Tierra Verde, FL 33715, USA
We will spend about 30 minutes exploring the beaches of Shell Key with an opportunity to swim, wade, collect shells, etc
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Shell Key Preserve, 2187 Oceanview Dr, Tierra Verde, FL 33715, USA
We will spend about an hour each way paddling out to the island exploring the beauty of the preserve's mangrove islands and sea grass flats!
Duration: 1 hour
Additional information
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- Social distancing enforced throughout experience
- Gear/equipment sanitized between use
- Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
- Guides required to regularly wash hands
- Regular temperature checks for staff
- Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
- The best social distancing activity with a big wide open ocean and an entirely outdoors experience!
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
Cancellation
My 2 friends and I enjoyed every aspect of this fun outing! Nick was a terrific guide, patiently explaining all we needed to know before heading out, and then expertly leading us and telling us all about the sea creatures and foliage along the way. We not only learned and saw a lot but also had a...
My 2 friends and I enjoyed every aspect of this fun outing! Nick was a terrific guide, patiently explaining all we needed to know before heading out, and then expertly leading us and telling us all about the sea creatures and foliage along the way. We not only learned and saw a lot but also had a fantastically fun time!Such an amazing experience! My 14 yo son and I were in Tampa for Busch Gardens. We wanted to do something outdoors on our last day. We booked online a few weeks in advance and received great confirmation and communication by email. Directions were clear on how to find the launch spot. When ...
Such an amazing experience! My 14 yo son and I were in Tampa for Busch Gardens. We wanted to do something outdoors on our last day. We booked online a few weeks in advance and received great confirmation and communication by email. Directions were clear on how to find the launch spot. When we arrived, there were a few other outfits, but Nick’s emails were clear to look for his big white truck. And he was hustling to unload the kayaks, greet people and provide bags, paddles and answer questions. We had a very mixed group of people, including elderly and young children. Nick was great in interacting with all of them. The other outfits had many people around to help get the tours launch, but there was Nick on his own. He got our kayaks launched, gave instructions and all with a smile and great energy. The tour itself was excellent. We crossed a shallow channel and Nick explained about the cormorants diving around us. We entered a mangrove tunnel and crossed another channel to reach shell key. There we landed, and could explore the island, swim or collect shells. We swam, my son found sand dollars, hermit crabs and lightening whelks. Then we saw a manatee and dolphin before crossing back to the launch area. It was an amazing day, made more so by our guide. He was patient, knowledgeable and very kind the whole time. Nick was very knowledgeable about the area and shared about the impact of hurricane Irma. He was the first to spot the Manatee, and pointed it out to all of us, as well as the dolphins. He shared info about the bay and keys that was relevant and interesting. He also gave us great advice about where to go for lunch in the area. And, I believe he is a new small business, so I am glad we explored with him and I hope you do to!Nick did an excellent job guiding us through the mangroves to Shell Key. Along the way he gave us information about the wildlife and history of the local area. We saw dolphins and other wildlife. Shell Key is so peaceful. You get time to relax and look for shells along this private area. Definite...
Nick did an excellent job guiding us through the mangroves to Shell Key. Along the way he gave us information about the wildlife and history of the local area. We saw dolphins and other wildlife. Shell Key is so peaceful. You get time to relax and look for shells along this private area. Definitely going to do this again.This was an absolute great experience. Great equipment, great location. Nick was extremely knowledgeable. Answered all out questions. He had a great sense of humor. We would definitely go again. The only thing we'd suggest is on the info before you go is tell people to bring a bottle of water
This was an absolute great experience. Great equipment, great location. Nick was extremely knowledgeable. Answered all out questions. He had a great sense of humor. We would definitely go again. The only thing we'd suggest is on the info before you go is tell people to bring a bottle of waterThis was the perfect excursion for our family of 4! Since the water is only 2ft deep I did not worry about my 7 year old and I was able to really enjoy! The water is crystal clear and the birds that swam next to us were so fun to watch hunt for fish. The island was gorgeous and we found live sand...
This was the perfect excursion for our family of 4! Since the water is only 2ft deep I did not worry about my 7 year old and I was able to really enjoy! The water is crystal clear and the birds that swam next to us were so fun to watch hunt for fish. The island was gorgeous and we found live sand dollars, star fish, hermit crabs, and fighting conch! Not to mention so many shells! Our guide Nick was great and my 12 year old was telling family about the history of the Don Cesar hotel that night. The mangrove is like a spooky, cool, forest in the middle of the ocean where we saw tons of otter beds! I cannot say enough awesome things about this experience! Check it out! One tip would be to insure you put sunscreen on your feet!We loved our kayaking trip! It had a rocky start due to weather. It was postponed twice and as aggravating as that may sound, it was a wise decision on their part as kayaking in rain and winds would not have been enjoyable. Nick was our guide and he was awesome! My husband had the incorrect addr...
We loved our kayaking trip! It had a rocky start due to weather. It was postponed twice and as aggravating as that may sound, it was a wise decision on their part as kayaking in rain and winds would not have been enjoyable. Nick was our guide and he was awesome! My husband had the incorrect address so we called to say we were running late and he was super calm about it. We went out with a group of ten in total, experience levels varied and Nick was incredibly patient with everyone! He educated us and added humor making the trip a fun learning experience. We would not hesitate to do the trip again and have already recommended it to friends who will be in the area in a few weeks.