Check out these photos and video of a Cocoa Beach kayaking tour through the Thousand Islands. Join us on a kayak adventure with our guide Cameron as we depart from the Cocoa Beach Country Club and encounter a manatee, blue heron, and other wildlife. Our tour group kayaks through mangrove tunnels and enjoys beautiful scenery on a tour that lasted over two hours.
Laura Rivera Asked: What types of wildlife can I expect to see on a kayak tour?
Dear Laura: Thank you for your question! Although we cannot guarantee you will see a particular animal on a given tour, it is common to see manatees, dolphins, and many different wild birds on kayak tours near Cocoa Beach in the Thousand Islands area.
Central Florida Kayaking Tour Guide Cameron
Cameron – Our Kayak Tour Guide
Our tour guide Cameron was fantastic. A student at the University of Central Florida, where he studies Marine Biology. Cameron told us so much about the Banana River Lagoon, the Thousand Islands ecosystem, and the amazing plants and animals that live there.
Preparing for the Tour at the Cocoa Beach Country Club
Kayak Tour Launches From This Point
Two Tour Members Learning How to Paddle a Kayak
Beautiful Scenery in the Cocoa Beach Thousand Islands
We Encounter a Blue Heron on Our Tour
Passing a Group of Kayakers as We Enter the Mangrove Tunnels
Kayaking Through Mangrove Tunnels
We are passing another group of kayakers as we prepare to enter the mangrove tunnels in the Thousand Islands area of the Banana River Lagoon. Our guide informed us that the different kayak tour groups travel through the tunnel in different directions, so it is not always possible to know the best direction to enter or exit the tunnels. Fortunately, the other group was coming out as we approached. While in the tunnels, we had to move to the side in an open area to allow another kayak tour group to pass.
Mangrove Tunnel Kayaking Slideshow
Kayak Tour Guide Spots a Manatee
Cameron, our kayak tour guide, spotted a manatee on our way back to the launch location. He knows his stuff because I could not see anything, but he told us some of the signs that a manatee was near. For example, he said if you see a flat, circular ripple on the surface of the water, it may have been created by a manatee tail. Sure enough, a West Indian manatee was a short distance in front of us. Check out the slideshow below to view pictures.
The Kayak Tour Group Returning to Cocoa Beach Country Club
A Great Day on the Water
Everyone in the group had a great time kayaking. We all appreciated our guide’s vast knowledge regarding the Banana River and the plants and animals that live there.
