I fully planned on this week’s blog being all about the start of sea turtle nesting season, and cool facts about the gopher tortoise. What I did not plan on was the events that occurred on Thursday morning. Once again, I have procrastinated until Thursday evening, so here I am winging it and we are going to see what comes out of my brain. Kinda like that Forrest Gump quote, "Life is like a box of chocolates you never know what you are going to get".
Going along with this season’s theme…wind, I have missed out on a lot of paddling time, so I was quite excited for Thursday mornings mermaid adventure. It was a beautiful sunny 75 degrees, with a high tide, a bit of a breeze and a handsome adventure puppy joining us, which is perfect for national pet month. These conditions are not the best for finding the critters that chill on the sea floor but the perfect conditions to catch the manatee and dolphins taking advantage of the high tide over the shallow grass beds, and we did have both pop up to say hello, which was very exciting. But that was not all the excitement this mermaid adventure had to offer....
While exploring the sandbar, looking for all the beautiful and strange critters that inhabit the ecosystem, I noticed a few kayakers that looked to be drifting out and into an area where the current is strong with deeper water and boat traffic. As we walked backed to the kayaks, I could see two people in the water and only one Kayak. There was another group of kayakers on the sandbar that had also taken notice of the situation and by this point it was clear, I needed to go help. Not knowing what I was getting into, I told my tour to stay on the sandbar and I would return as soon as I could. I pulled my anchor, put on my safety belt and paddled towards them. As I got closer, I could see two women, one holding on to a kayak floating, and the other holding onto a kayak that was full of water and sinking.
As soon as I got to them, I had the lady with the sinking kayak put on her life jacket and grab a hold of my board so I could pull her and the kayak full of water back to the shallows. The other lady that was also out of her kayak was able to swim hers back to the sandbar. At the sandbar we could then dump the kayak out, and she was able to get back in and enjoy the rest of her paddle and I could get back to my tour.
This situation is precisely why we send all our guest on the same path along the old railroad, and all kayaks and paddleboards have PFD’s and whistles. Where we explore is shallow and a sublime paddle with the right conditions and safety devices. Never be so confident you don’t have respect for the sea, she is one mysterious powerful force!
Having the right gear for every adventure is vital for comfortability, safety and fun. Playing outdoors is more than kinda our thing and now we using the best gear there is thanks to Aaron being an ambassador for Sierra Madre. I love it, and you need to check out Aarons Youtube page for his reviews on these epic products. When you are ready to purchase your gear use his link and save 7%!
https://youtu.be/T8dhiGR8p_8 <-- Check out this review
https://sierramadreresearch.com/ <-- and click here to purchase
I have rambled enough for this week’s blog so I guess we will be waiting on the turtle blog, because my life really is like a box of chocolate, and you never know what you are going to get. Until next time, Stay Salty.