Kayaking the Chassahowitzka River

The Chassahowitzka River is the southern gateway into the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge, over 31,000 acres of saltwater bays and marshes. Manatees can be seen in the Refuge in the spring as they leave their winter homes of sheltered freshwater springs to roam the coastline. 25 species of mammals, 50 species of reptiles, and over 250 species of birds can be found in the protected habitat of the Refuge.

Kayaking the first Chassahowitzka spring

Springs feed the Chassahowitzka River all along its course. The first photo shows a cleared channel to the first spring we explored. This view is looking back as my son continued up the channel. Sometimes we took our kayak paddles apart and used them like canoe paddles in these narrow spaces. Behind me as I took this photo is a larger open pool. As we proceeded into the pool a very big alligator (the distance from nostrils to eyes was well over a foot) crossed 10-15 yards ahead of us and submerged. Our guide said most people would have turned around at that point but we knew that wild alligators are not dangerous unless they or their young are threatened. It is the alligators that have been fed by humans that are very dangerous, associating people with food.

The second photo is the wider channel beyond the gator pool that winds up toward the spring. Along this stretch was the only time in our trip I got a bit nervous, when we got stuck on a snag and heard the distinctive guttural chirping of baby alligators, and I wanted to move on before the mommy alligator showed up.

The third photo shows the shallow stream leaving the spring. We scooted the kayaks into the bushes and waded the rest of the way in.

In the fourth photo we are feeding fish some crickets we caught on the shore.

I have a submersible case for my Olympus Stylus digital camera which allowed me to take the next photo of the fish in the spring.

Next, a large spider by the spring. Our guide said it packed a nasty bite but I don't remember what kind of spider it was. If anyone e-mails me the species (link at the bottom of the page) I'll revise this paragraph.

Kayaking the second Chassahowitzka spring

A little blue heron.

A great blue heron.

A pretty good sized gator (6 or 7 feet) swimming to shore before submerging as we paddled by.

A fuzzy shot of a little blue heron taking flight. I use it as wallpaper anyway because I like it.

Kayaking up the little feeder spring

At the second spring there was a little creek flowing into the spring pool. We paddled under a fallen tree to try to find the source of the creek.

After a while the creek was shallow and there were too many snags for kayaks so we started wading.

I was glad my camera was submersible because I tripped and fell into the water several and we swam a few times to get around deep pools near large trees. Our intrepid guide, Ken, from Aardvark Kayak led the way, otherwise I would not have ventured into such an "in depth" exploration for the source of the creek. With Ken's help we did find the spring that was the source of the creek, and enjoyed one of the best guided adventures we've ever experienced.

Bicycling Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island

On the way to a paddling trip in the Everglades we stopped at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island. The refuge is the full time or seasonal home to hundreds of nesting and migrating bird species in mangrove forests, salt marshes and hardwood hammocks. We rented bicycles to tour the refuge.

We walked past this startling bird displaying its breast and inside wing feathers. I'm guessing that it may be a young heron but I do not know. Feel free to e-mail me if you know what this bird is.

I think this is a little blue heron wading on the water's edge. We watched it several minutes as it slowly stepped through the plants, looking down and weaving its head from side to side in a rhythmic, hypnotic fashion.

An egret.

A small alligator.

Kayaking the Everglades

We stayed at the Ivey House and booked a tour through their associated Everglades Eco Adventures.

Several alligators were floating in the large pond where we launched. It is not obvious from the photograph but there are three alligators floating between the kayak and the mangroves.

Paddling through the mangrove tunnels.

Thousands of water beetles, so many they made their own wave as they fled the boat.

We emerged from the mangrove tunnels into our third or fourth shallow pond. This beautiful pond was the border between the mangroves and the saw grass prairie. We saw blue crabs and many alligators.

This alligator surfaced a few feet from the kayak when I was drifting toward the shore. I angled away from the shore to ensure that the alligator did not feel threatened.

More alligators at the mangrove side of the pond.

Gatorland photos

We stopped by Gatorland in the Orlando area on our way to the airport.

A beautiful gecko hanging from a branch.

The mildly insane "gator jumparoo." The man with the chicken is attached to a cement block with a steel cable so he will only lose a hand and not his life if an alligator jumps higher then he expects. These alligators and crocodiles are huge and incredibly dangerous having been taught equate humans with food. Does this guy get hazard pay?

A baby alligator. Aren't they cute when they're little?

©Mike Massey. All rights reserved. That said, all images on KayakCam.com may be used freely for non-commercial purposes.