Manatee Monday! While manatees can be found along the southern coast states of Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina in shallow waters, they are mostly concentrated in, and associated with, Florida. And one place to find them in the Sunshine State is in the Palm Beach area.
But to truly get up close to a manatee, you're gonna need to get adventurous.
SOUTH FLORIDA PADDLE ECO-TOUR
We recently did a private paddleboard eco-tour with South Florida Paddle on Singer Island. The two-hour guided journey (with a local eco-expert) took us through the Lake Worth Lagoon and around Munyon Island. Within 15 minutes of our tour out into the lagoon, we spotted four manatees. Two of them floated right under our board! Given that spotting manatees is harder than spotting dolphins sometimes, seeing these majestic creatures up so close was a powerful moment. Nature is incredible, y'all.
After hanging out with the manatees for a while, we continued to paddle around Munyon Island, hopping off at a couple points to see baby horseshoe crabs, learn some history about the island, and take a little break. Along the way we spotted numerous fish, turtles, a small sting ray and a queen conch shell that our guide Marissa spotted and picked up (and of course, put back.) Not bad for a quick two-hour tour.
WHAT TO KNOW:
The launching point was just a little past the John D. MacArthur State Park, another spot we highly recommend visiting for its beach, wildlife trail, and playground. We met our guide Marissa just beyond the launching point with everyone wearing masks and maintaining appropriate distance. After a few quick tips on paddle boarding (we've done this before), we were off. South Florida Paddle provides the boards, paddles, life vests, and bottle water. Marissa also had a GoPro camera on her paddle that captured incredible shots of the tour. These are later emailed to you to keep.
WHAT AGES:
South Florida Paddle requires children to be 13 and older to have their own board. Younger children will have to sit on a parent's board. For private tours and rentals, the age limit is 7 and up. For our two, we kept it adults only and quite glad we did as we're not sure how our kids would have felt about sitting on the board the whole time. #sorrynotsorry
BOTTOM LINE:
South Florida Paddle has a bunch of different tour options, starting at about $45 per person for the two-hour tour. Some tours do require a minimum of two people, although you can also rent boards, kayaks, and paddles for your own excursions.
ALTERNATIVE OPTION:
Not confident on a paddle board? The easiset way to learn about manatees and possibly see one swimming by is at the Manatee Lagoon in Riviera Beach. This is an FPL Eco-Discovery Center where educational exhibits and sessions run daily to teach people all about these crazy cool “sea cows.” Outside of the center is a small lagoon with perfectly warm water where manatees have been known to show up for the occasional sighting. Unfortunately, because of Covid-19, the center has been closed but there are plenty of virtual opportunities.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
Trips + Giggles Favorite Places: Busch Wildlife Sanctuary
Trips + Giggles Favorite Places: Loggerhead Marine Life Center
