21 KAYAKING, FISHING,

PADDLE BOARDING & SCUBA DIVING

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Discover secret inland fishing spots, secluded waterways, World War II shipwrecks, underwater tunnels,

prehistoric fossil sites and more ...

AWESOME ECO-TOURS

FANTASTIC FLORIDA ADVENTURES EXPLORE TRAILS & BACKWATERS WITH TH E STATE ’S TO P G U I DE S

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tugs her kayak onto a black sandbar that appears no di!erent from the dozen others we’ve passed so far on the Peace River. "e owner of Atlantic Coast Kayak Company, Richardson has been paddling Florida’s waterways for 10 years, and her instinct tells her that this is a good spot. My friend Amy and I chose to paddle this course, which begins about an hour’s drive east of Tampa and empties into Charlotte Harbor on the Gulf of Mexico. We chose it not just for the scenery — limestone banks shaded by oak trees and dotted with sandbars and swim-ming holes. We wanted to dig up the past.

Richardson’s petite frame belies her strength. With short blonde hair poking out the back of her round-brimmed canvas hat, she moves with the assurance of someone who knows few limits in the wilderness. "e Zolfo Springs to Gardner run, a 19.5-mile stretch, boasts an abundance of Miocene-, Pliocene- and Pleistocene-era fossils dating back as far as 23 million years ago. Each is a remnant from when Florida was nothing more than sea#oor. "is area is a hot spot for these tar-black relics; it yields ancient and preserved dugong ribs, turtle shells and credit-card-size teeth from 60-foot-long megalodon sharks.

And so we hop down from our kayaks and wade into the river. Dipping a shovel

into the tannic water, I dredge a few scoops onto a square mesh screen. "en I rake my $ngers through the sludge of black rocks and thick clay.

“Got one!” I jokingly pretend I’ve already found a shark’s tooth just to tease my trip mates. But as they come in for a closer look, I comb through the mud and realize that I have actually found not one but two teeth in the pile. Realizing we have only a few more hours of sunlight le%, we pack up and head downriver to make camp.

Just a%er sunrise, we return to the water. As we scout for black sandbars, Richardson points out the hawks at the edge of our sightline. We hear the scuff le of leaves before spying wild turkeys pecking their beaks into the stream. In between animal sightings, we muse about what we found

yesterday. Our panning produced heaps of easy-to-identify sharks’ teeth, and we decided to keep the more unusual fossils — those with sharply etched lines or spotted patterns.

"en we see the regulars. "eir attire — wide-brimmed hats, long-

sleeve shirts and bandanas knotted around necks — suggests commitment. "ey work methodically, shoveling load after load of black earth onto f loating sieves framed by trimmed pool noodles and tethered to stakes. Ingenious, their setups require only one hand to sort through the clay. In the few minutes that they spend digging through the sandbars, we watch them net at least one $nd from each shovelful. Perhaps they also know one of Richardson’s secrets: “Dip your paddle into the river, and listen for the crunch of rubble. Any place where your canoe or kayak scrapes the bottom may be a pain to paddle through, but is prime fossil-hunting territory.”

We park our boats alongside John from Fort Myers, a fossil-hunting veteran of 10 years. Built like a football quarterback, he makes fast work with the shovel. Under a canopy of cypress trees, he stands knee-deep in a hole dug into a sandbar. From a single scoop, he rattles o! what he recog-nizes. “Fossilized wood … turtle shell … probably a rib bone,” he says while tuck-ing each piece into a pouch belted around his waist. He tells me that this area, about a mile upriver from our exit point, is an especially rich spot.

We thank him, #oat a few yards down-river and start digging our own holes. Everything that seems like a $nd is indeed a $nd. Turtle shells are easy to spot, as are jagged teeth. Now, the success rate almost makes it seem like a rigged carny game. We $ll our pockets before taking a lunch break.

Back on the river, Richardson’s kayak strokes are quiet, clean and strong enough to easily power the craft. She turns our attention to the life along the riverbank. Great blue herons unfold their wings and audibly #ap a few yards downstream.

Yesterday, we spied young gators on the banks. “"ey’re solar-charging,” Richardson joked. "e most impressive sight comes as we make our way in silence to a fork in the river. In unison, several hundred turkey vultures crane their bald, blood-red heads in our direction. As we approach, they wad-dle across the sand, shifting their weight from one foot to the other in an awkward trot devoid of grace. "en they take #ight — their wings beating loudly with the whoop-whoop of a prop plane readying for takeo!. As we dri% toward our exit point, we peer down, studying every sandbar. We now know that only time separates us from the next Miocene-era mother lode. atlantic coastkayak.com — BROOKE MORTON

“Here,” Susan Richardson calls out as she

Go KayakingE X P E R T G U I D E

SUSAN RICHAR DSON

A DV E NT U R E PADDLING THE

PE ACE RIVER FOR FOSSIL S

Opposite: Fossil hunting adds a new dimension to a Peace River kayak trip through Southwest Florida. The leisurely two-day journey from

Zolfo Springs to Gardner includes stops at sandbars to sift for ancient treasures and enjoy nature sightings, and camping under the stars. PHO

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N O R T H W E S T

Pensacola! Book an overnight trip on the Coldwater Creek, near Pensacola, through Adventures Unlimited. Paddle past 30-foot sand dunes and waterfalls as a guide describes the flora and fauna. Bring your own camping gear. adventuresunlimited.com

N O R T H E A S T

Ocala! Get a taste of Old Florida when paddling the Ocklawaha River, north of Ocala, with Ocklawaha Canoe Outpost & Resort. Bring your own camp-ing gear for an overnight trip or book a cabin at their resort on the edge of the Ocala National Forest. outpostresort.com

C E N T R A L

Merritt Island! Paddle the Indian River Lagoon after dark to watch jellyfish and plankton light up the water. A Day Away Kayak Tours in Merritt Island leads bioluminescent tours, where every movement in or on the water makes the creatures flash. adayawaykayaktours.com

S O U T H W E S T

Everglades! The Everglades National Park has long been home to many legends — panthers, 20-foot gators and skunk apes. Book three-, five- and eight-day Everglades expeditions with the Naples Kayak Com-pany. napleskayakcompany.com

F L O R I D A K E Y S

Key West! Explore Key West’s other wild side with Blue Planet Kayak’s eco-tours. Guides lead paddlers through mangrove corridors accessible only by kayak while spotting marine life below. blue-planet-kayak.com

More Kayaking Adventures

Peace River excur-sion with the Atlantic Coast Kayak Company

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sooner. The morning I meet the YOLO Board paddle-board company founder at his warehouse in Santa Rosa Beach, he’s grinning like a proud father holding his baby for the !rst time — and he’s just talk-ing about the new line of paddles that he and business partner Tom Losee created. Chatting about upcoming expeditions to the Everglades and Caribbean only makes his eyes widen more.

Most of all, the Louisiana native is stoked about his followers: a community of water-sports enthusiasts who tasted

stand-up paddling board-ing (SUP) once or twice and now own paddle boards, taking to the water at every opportunity. Archer admits that his sights are set much higher. “Not everyone has heard of paddle boarding,” he says. “We’re after the 98 percent that doesn’t know yet that this sport is for them.”

So what is it about paddling a board that’s spawning an ever-growing tribe of converts? For Archer, the turning point came in 2006, when he followed a pod of dolphins and watched them teach a young member of the group how to catch !sh. "e experience — his !rst ever on a pad-dle board — inspired Archer and Losee to form YOLO, and the next week, the two-some was designing boards.

Six years later, Archer is still every bit as enthused about exploring the water from his board, and his athletic frame is a testament to the surprisingly good work-out one gets from SUP.

We head to Morrison Springs, a glass-clear tributary that feeds into the Choctawhatchee River. "is trip will knock three items o# the list of North Florida SUP experiences that Archer calls the “!ve-fecta.” "e area has the Gulf of Mexico’s $at waters, the protected Choctawhatchee Bay, crystal-clear springs, fast-moving rivers and, rarest of all, 6,000-year-old dune lakes. Found only in this area and a handful of other places in the world, these bodies of water are renowned for their beauty and the inter-mixing of freshwater and saltwater species,

which happens when heavy rainfall con-nects them to the Gulf.

A f ter a 30 -m i nute d r ive, we launch our boards from the Morrison Springs boat ramp and

paddle a few dozen yards to the headwater. The aquifer gushes 48

million gallons of water daily, creating an unreal clarity to the cobalt blue stream. Overhead, cypress trees have shed their lushness for the season, leaving behind a cool, sparse beauty among the spindly branches veiled by Spanish moss.

Standing tall on the oversize boards, we glide; it feels as if we’re walking on water. "is vantage point a#ords a !eld of vision unparalleled in the boating com-munity. Powerboats offer height, but greatly disturb the surface. Kayaks slice cleanly through the water, but seated pad-dlers see only a little of what lies below.

Right now, I’m overwhelmed by the entire 250-foot-wide limestone amphithe-ater beneath me. Scuba divers 40 feet below slip from view as they swim into the cave.

As I $oat over the lip of darkness, my fear of heights sets in. My board teeters. Archer reminds me of one of the sport’s tenets: “If you wobble, steady your eyes on the horizon. "e board will follow.”

Balance regained, I follow Archer. Our goal: to reach the high-energy intersection where the spring meets the current-charged Choctawhatchee River. Beneath us, red-eared sliders scurry to !nd shelter. Gar, with pinched mouths jagged with gnarly teeth like chainsaw blades, skulk in slow motion. Bits of algae resembling heads of butter lettuce wave in the current.

Each stroke reminds me of the peaceful-ness that comes with repetitive movement in water, as with swimming or rowing. We set-tle into a quiet rhythm. As our arms stroke faster, our thoughts slow, allowing us to bet-ter absorb the surroundings. "e air smells of wet moss and the musty decay of a forest perpetually rebuilding itself. It’s quiet here. "e dripping paddles and the low humming of cicadas provide the only soundscape.

“I have to know what’s down there,” Archer says, eyeing the upcoming fork in the river. It’s rife with strainers — fallen logs and other detritus that redirect the water f low into unpredictable patterns. We merge onto the Choctawhatchee River, paddling against the current as long as our muscles will let us. "e sun has bowed low on the horizon, dappling the trees and sandbars with a patchwork of gold, and it’s time for our return trip.

Back in our cars, we speed to nearby Choctawhatchee Bay, reaching it at twilight, and once again launch our boards. We’re alone on the water, weaving between moored sailboats. As I watch the colors brighten to neon shades, I realize it’s not my arms that are tired. It’s my cheeks. I’ve been smiling all day. yoloboard.com — BM

It’s surprising that Je# Archer didn’t start a cult

Paddle BoardE X P E R T G U I D E

JEFF ARCHER

A DV E NT U R E PADDLE BOAR DING

IN SANTA ROSA B E ACH

Considered one of the fastest-growing water sports, stand-up paddle boarding, which has roots in Hawaii, is often compared to kayaking.

The difference is that it offers better scenic views of Florida’s waterways, as well as a good workout for arms, legs and core. PHO

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C E N T R A L

Orlando! Maui B takes paddlers down the Little Econlockhatchee and the Wekiva rivers, where sightings of hawks, turtles, river otters and wood storks are frequent. Overnight trips, March through November, include gear and food. A SUP eco-tour in New Smyrna tracks manatees and dolphins and educates people about these marine mammals. mauib.com

S O U T H E A S T

Jupiter! East Coast Paddle Surfing in Jupiter rents boards overnight, so adventure types can explore the Loxahatchee River at Jonathan Dickinson State Park and the mangrove trails of St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park. Book a lesson or adventure tour along the Intracoastal. eastcoastpaddlesurfing.com

S O U T H W E S T

Naples! Paddleboard SWFL launches tours on waterways between Naples and Fort Myers, includ-ing spots on the Gulf of Mexico and along the Estero River. Paddle by moonlight on a full-moon tour, or design a custom trip for your skill level, around wildlife sightings or anything else. paddleboardswfl.com

F L O R I D A K E Y S

Key West! SUP Key West offers half- and full-day tours, as well as lessons at national wild-life refuges, where dolphin, stingray and manatee sightings are common. A sunset combo paddle takes you through man-groves and the Atlantic Ocean. Guides specialize in local ecol-ogy and can adapt itineraries. supkeywest.com

More SUP Adventures

Cypress trees at Morrison Springs

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