Going on a boat tour of Florida Bay in the Everglades.

We decided to go on a boat tour out into the bay. Before our tour, we walked out to look over the bay.

The tour boat is a kind of pontoon boat with plenty of room for the 8 tourists, boat operator and a narrator. It could easily handle 30.

Just off the docks, we saw a pair of manatees. Very likely it was a mom and baby. The problem is that water in bay and around the docks is an interesting pale green. It is only possible to see a few inches down.

The narrator pointed out and gave us information on the osprey nest. He told us that most years, the pair had 3 chicks. Being right over the “plug”, they are very popular and tolerant of tourists.

The plug is a dam placed across the man-made channel. The channel was dug in the 50s to give easier access to the lake but soon it was discovered that water from the bay was changing the salinity. Soon after the everglades was established, the plug was installed to end the mixing.

​As we pulled out into the bay, we stopped to see two crocodiles. One very large and another that was small.

We went out into the bay to a couple of the closer keys and saw many birds. The water in the bay is almost all shallow. Some areas are under 2 feet in low tide.

The first key was small but there were some birds.

On the way to the second key, we saw several sharks.

The second key had more osprey, pelicans, …  lots of birds.

On the return to the docks, Shawna spotted several dolphins. Several people commented on her sharp vision.  No way I could get a camera up quick enough though.


It was a nice ride out and back.