Smart Start SUP Course

This crystal clear run is a paddle into the past, through land still as it was when the Timucuan tribes inhabited the area. Truly emerald in color this section of Rock Springs Run is a breathtaking natural beauty. It winds through lush jungle-like nature, sand pine scrub, and pine flatwoods. The area is rich in wildlife and it is possible to see turtles, alligators, river otters, white-tailed deer, black bears, fish, a variety of birds, and more.

This is an out-and-back paddle. The first part your guide will lead you upstream over and under trees and through the twists and turns of the river until you reach the bridge at Kelle Park. At this point, you will have a chance to jump into the crystal clear river to play and/or to refresh yourself. Afterward, we let the current take us back to the launch point.

Make close contact with these gentle and lovable creatures in one of the largest winter gathering sites for manatees in Florida. Hundreds of manatees make Blue Spring State Park their winter home during the colder months, and some stay around all year.

Join us for a kayak tour through the active waterways of the Blue Spring State Park area! Nature surrounds this area on every turn and we often witness alligators and turtles sun-bathing on the shore. A variety of birds, big and small, call this area their home, which makes spotting bald eagles, ospreys, red-shouldered hawks, and other wading birds a common occurrence. With a little luck, we will encounter the occasional river otter swimming in the river.

This tour is perfect for families and wildlife enthusiasts.

Lake Norris is a spectacular darkwater lake and is one of the oldest cypress swamps in Florida. The shoreline of the lake is ringed by “dwarf cypress”, which give the lake an out-of-this-world appearance. One of the special highlights of this property is its high concentration of osprey nests. More than 100 active nests have been reported in the cypress trees that ring the lake.

A habitat for many animals and birds, this property expands the Florida black bear corridor. River otters, alligators, turtles, and various types of snakes call this place their home. While weaving between and through cypress trees many of these animals and birds can be observed.

Join us on this magnificent experience featuring one of Florida’s most beautiful, hidden, and unheralded places. This is a Disneyland for nature lovers!

This is an exciting 9-mile out-and-back guided tour.

Black Water Creek is a major tributary of the Wekiva River and part of the Wild & Scenic River system. The river provides for an enchanting and scenic backcountry paddling experience, evoking feelings of a fairytale landscape. Numerous species of birds can be seen overhead, wading in the water or perched in the trees. The wetlands also provides habitat for black bears, river otters, and alligators. A variety of wetland plants and trees are found in the water or on the shoreline. This is an out-and-back paddle.

The first part your guide will lead you downstream over and under trees and through the twists and turns of the river until you reach the confluence of Black Water Creek and the Wekiva River. The second part you will paddle upstream against the slow moving current, after having a short light lunch riverside.

This tour is for adventure seekers and wilderness lovers.

Join us for this magical experience of the glowing waters where you will step into your favorite Disney movie Avatar!

Responsible for the beautiful bluish-white flashes that occur when seawater is disturbed at night, is a small micro-organism called dinoflagellates. Seeing schools of fish or maybe a dolphin activate these tiny critters is nothing short of a miracle and belongs on everybody’s bucket list.

This bioluminescence kayak tour takes you out on the Indian River, where there are plenty of manatees, dolphins, and other marine life in the area. So chances are you will see some marine life up close and you can experience the magnificent light trails created by these animals in the water.

The best time to see bioluminescence is around the New Moon, when there is no moonlight reflecting on the water. However, the week surrounding the New Moon is still a great time to see the bioluminescence. You should plan well in advance if you plan to go on a New Moon night, or on the weekend as these tours sell out.

One of Seminole County’s most delightful natural lands, Black Bear Wilderness Area offers some of the best birding and wildlife watching in the region. True to its name it is a place to find bear scratches on trees, bear prints on the ground, and the Florida black bear itself. This trail is one of Florida’s most beautiful hikes and showcases Florida’s enchanting jungle-like floodplain forest.

This is a loop trail and requires commitment to complete the entire loop, there are no shortcuts. The rugged terrain provides for a more challenging hike than usually encountered in Florida but rewards you with stunning views of the St. John’s river and many wildlife sightings.

This tour is spectacular and one of our well kept secrets! It elicits a tranquil feeling giving you a chance to unplug. This is a beautiful and enchanting area. Lake Norris and it’s bald dwarf cypress are a stunning and evoke the feeling of a fairytale landscape, especially when viewed in the fog. Wildlife is abundant here! One of the special highlights of this area is the high concentration of osprey nests that sit in the top of the cypress trees that are on the perimeter of the lake. If you are light on your feet you may also see deer, otter, black bears and, foxes on your hike.

This is an out and back trail with gorgeous views!

The Discover Kayaking program lets you experience the excitement of kayaking in a safe environment. During your adventure you will be introduced to fundamental concepts and skills before heading off on a short kayak trip. This course includes pre-launch orientation which establishes basic safety skills and kayak terminology. The on-water orientation initiates the paddler to a foundational set of paddle strokes and maneuvers.

Our Smart Start Kayaking Course provides a brief introduction to paddling a kayak and ensures that foundational skills and concepts are learned to ensure confidence and safety when exploring flatwater by kayak. Both first timers and paddlers with some paddling experience will find this course useful. This course will help you develop the good habits and foundation skills that will amp up your learning curve. Self-rescues, or how to get back in/on top of your kayak are covered as well. After this course you will be comfortable being on the water!

The Introduction to Kayaking program is our most comprehensive beginners course. It emphasizes safety, enjoyment, and skill acquisition for entry level individuals. It is perfect for first timers who want to start off on the right foot, or for people with some paddling experience wanting to work on foundational skills.

This 6-week course will help you develop good habits and foundation skills that will amp up your learning curve. The course covers everything from getting comfortable being in a kayak, understanding the paddling environment, personal physical preparation, appropriate equipment and care, and more. You will be learning various paddling strokes and rescues with ample time to practice. The course concludes with a river trip in which you can put all you have learned together.

The ACA Skill Assessment course is designed to evaluate a participant’s ability to perform all of the fundamental skills along with demonstrating an appropriate level of knowledge. This assessment course provides the participant with the opportunity to receive documentation of having achieved a ACA’s Level 1 of paddling ability.

Our Kayak Paddle Stroke & Safety Primer is a fast-paced training course offering the paddler the opportunity to learn and refine some of the most used paddle strokes and maneuvers.

Some of the strokes we will work on are: low brace, forward stroke refinement, reverse stroke, forward and reverse sweep, stern rudder, and sculling draw. In addition we will also go over the most used rescues: assisted T-rescue, and cowboy/cowgirl self-rescue and paddle float self-rescue.

Our Flatwater Kayak Safety & Rescue course introduces essential flatwater safety practices and rescue techniques that can be performed with a minimum of equipment – in the first few minutes of an emergency. The course covers key self-rescue skills for different mobility levels, and kayak types as well as assisted rescues, rope handling skills, and more. The focus is on fast, simple, low-risk rescue techniques to manage minor in-water incidents.

The Kayaking Essentials program continues where the Introduction to Kayaking course left off. We will refine your skills while introducing a few new strokes and the concept of edging. This 6-week course also covers advanced rescue techniques and foundational skills needed to advance to rolling class.

Completion of the Introduction to Kayaking program is not required. However, this is not an introductory course and students must demonstrate the necessary prerequisite skills.

The course concludes with a day paddle at Cape Canaveral National Seashore where you can put all you have learned into practice.

The ACA Skill Assessment course is designed to evaluate a participant’s ability to perform all of the fundamental skills along with demonstrating an appropriate level of knowledge. This assessment course provides the participant with the opportunity to receive documentation of having achieved ACA’s Level 2 of paddling ability.

We offer private lessons for those that want to work on their skill development.