Florida Keys

December 1997 - January 1998

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

For the kayaking enthusiast or novice, the Florida Keys offer safe passage through one of the most biologically diverse, ecologically sound habitats in North America. Home to the only coral reef system on the continent, its warm tropical waters are alive with aquatic birds and other wildlife.

The area consists of hundreds of islands (keys) scattered amidst the biologically rich waters of Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Most of these keys are pristine, uninhabited islands and comprise three national wildlife refuges: The Great White Heron Refuge, The Key Deer Refuge, and the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. These areas are a haven for a wide array of wildlife, including nesting Sea Turtles, Key Deer, Bald Eagles, Osprey and hundreds of other birds and aquatic creatures.

The Florida Keys Backcountry is a time capsule, allowing us to see life as it was when only the Calusa Indians traveled these waters hundreds of years ago. Experience miles of tidal streams bordered by mangrove islands teeming with tropical beauty.

The shimmering aquamarine waters abound with life. Pods of Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin frolic in the deeper water. Florida Spiny Lobster and Stone Crab comb the bottom while Snapper, Barracuda, and Sting Ray ply the shallows. From the seagrass meadows to the hard bottom communities, where fish and a variety of soft sponges, corals, and other invertebrates live, the Florida Keys Backcountry is a fragile ecosystem, easily damaged by humans. We must all do our part to ensure its protection.

The flats have a unique relation with the off-shore waters as a fragile nursery, repeatedly stocking the fertile fishing grounds, keeping the area alive with commercial and non-commercial species.

The Florida Keys have many sites to explore, but specific launch sites in the near-shore and off-shore islands of the Florida Keys can be hard to find. Until now there has not been a free exchange of information about where to launch and land.

Now Bruce Wachob, a kayak guide in Florida for many years, has written a guidebook to the area from Key West up to the Everglades and Miami.

Sea Kayaking in the Florida Keys, published by Pineapple Press, includes an introduction to paddling the Keys, with weather, tides and natural history, detailed descriptions of 20 novice to advanced trips, and guide maps to each area. For more information contact Bruce Wachob via email: keykayak@netrox.net or see www.keywest-fl.com (Adventure Charters & Tours).