Travel Tuesday – “SAFE” Kayaking in Florida
By Vance McCullough, AC Insider
In recent days we’ve seen a Florida Man rescue a drowning bald eagle from a wild, gator-infested lake, an unfortunate 89-year-old man and his dog get killed by black bears in Collier County and, regrettably, a lady fall out of her kayak and suffer a fatal attack by a big gator near the state park on Lake Kissimmee.
Wildlife encounters will continue to rise as Eden continues to get loved to death by visitors and paradise is further paved to make way for more permanent future residents.
A bear was even seen strolling through downtown St Augustine’s Historic District, heavily peopled by tourists, this past week.
But historically speaking, kayaking inland and nearshore waters is a fairly safe activity. Staying inside the kayak helps. Not sure how the lady lost her seat, but I have accidentally parked my kayak right on top of a 9-foot gator before. I’m not sure who was more frightened, but it nearly induced an accident of a different sort. As soon as the water settled and we both escaped unharmed, I had to giggle uncontrollably. It was fun. My kayak got bucked into the air, me atop. It took me back to younger days, getting thrown from a horse, crashing my bike, trying to block a football opponent who stood 6’ 9” and weighed 295 pounds.
In that moment when time stands still – and everything else is a warp speed blur – you know real fear. And then the nervous system kicks in with endorphins and there’s an afterglow. ‘I made it through! I’m ok. That was amusing.’
There are parks, probably too many now, that pepper the I-4 corridor and exist for the simple purpose of amusement. Sure, it’s a blast to get dropped 13 stories or accelerate from 0-to-60 at a rate which humans aren’t supposed to.
But if you want a real experience, you must get out to the wilds of Florida. And you should do so while there are still mysteries to explore in a virile state that is being castrated by developers, some of whom actually ‘serve’ in leadership capacities on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.
Indeed, development has displaced many animals and forced many of their conflicts with humans. You simply can’t turn that many people loose on this peninsula and not expect them to cross paths with wild things. My son had a close encounter with a mother bear and cub last month while camping near Rodman Reservoir.
What this means for you who visit Florida and fish from whatever craft you choose is that some of the increase in conflicts is just a numbers game. If more people play the lottery, more people will win the lottery. The odds that it will happen to any given individual remain the same. Practically zero.
And as more people enjoy Florida’s bountiful outdoors, more will suffer attacks from bears, panthers, gators, saltwater crocodiles, pythons (there are more here now than there are in their native home range), four species of poisonous snakes, sharks, jellyfish, stingrays, 14-year-olds on jet skis and presidents of homeowners’ associations.
But the odds that you will suffer an attack from any of these are low to begin with and can be greatly reduced by taking reasonable precautions. By no means am I placing blame on the fine people who recently died in animal attacks. My heart hurts for them and their families and friends. What I am doing is encouraging you to wear your life jacket and whistle, have appropriate safety lights (so the jet skier sees you) file a float plan or at least let someone know what ramp you’re launching from, and be extra attentive during low light hours around daybreak and dusk – great times to be on the water; not in it.
Always keep a hold of little people and pets which are both on the menu for large carnivores.
Be smart. Be safe. And come on down and fish with us!