After a morning at Myakka park, I was ready to get in the water!
Kayaking was on the schedule next. This would be my 2nd adventure on the 3rd day of my Gulf Coast trip. I was excited to experience what Sarasota Bay had to offer in the way of mangroves!
This time I would get to be physically distant by not socially distant. My friend was coming in from Orlando to join me on this adventure. We indulged in much-needed friend time while remaining responsible outdoors and with masks.
The mangroves in Sarasota Bay turned out to be the best I’ve ever experienced! We had an amazing time exploring them and having some wonderful laughs as friends.
Getting To Sarasota’s Mangroves
The sun was hot on my left arm as I drove over Sarasota Bay on the John Ringling Causway. I was on my way to Lido Key, specifically Ted Sterling Nature Park. The water below the bridge was a brilliant blue. Lots of people were out walking, cycling, and spending time along the shorelines. I was excited to get in the water after a long morning of hiking around the Myakka forest.
I learned about a kayak launch and some popular mangrove tunnels off of Lido Key in my research the night before. That’s how I was approaching most of this trip—day-by-day. Other than Crystal River I really had no set plans. I just looked stuff up to do and then decided to do it on a whim when the time seemed right. Even diving Devil’s Den was unplanned—and the den itself was a late-formed destination after it was recommended to me by several people.
This fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants-style-travel is how I like it! My time feels less structured and more like a real vacation!
The only structure I had set for today was meeting up with a friend and her friend, Kim and Fanny. We didn’t have vaccines yet but we were taking serious precautions in our day-to-day life. We were regularly tested and we knew we had to be careful to stay distant. Kayaking outdoors and with masks was a way for us all to be both social and responsible.
Before Kim and Fanny arrived, I pulled up to the launch site to find stacks of kayaks off to the side, a wash-down station, and the parking lot nearly full. I was lucky to find a parking spot right near the unloading area.
There were lots of people renting kayaks and scheduled for guided tours of the mangroves. But I was there to explore with my friends independent of any guides.
I set up my kayak and waited for their arrival. Fanny’s kayak is a hard top so it was quick to pop in the water!
The launch spot is narrow, allowing only one kayak to safely launch at a time. Once in the water, the spot opens right up to Sarasota Bay.
Following along the right side, we found a couple of passageways into the mangrove tunnels.
Right away I could tell that these mangroves were nothing like I’d experienced before. There were many crisscrossing tunnels here—more than I’ve ever experienced! They were perfectly curved like true tunnels. I haven’t experienced tunnels quite as clear and narrow as these. I believe these are the quintessential mangroves I’d seen in the past in photos about kayaking in Florida.
The first tunnel we went through had a lot of traffic. It was fairly wide and straightforward. Lots of people who have not been kayaking much or who had guides were going through this part. We had to hold onto the sides to let them go by, sometimes getting bumped into because of their inexperienced maneuvering.
It’s a good thing my inflatable is thick and bounces people right back! :)
Eventually, Kim, Fanny, and I found the narrower mangrove tunnels where tour groups did not dare venture into. We were solo, so we could go where we pleased and take the challenge.
The opportunity for bumping into the pokey sides of the mangroves was high. Fanny’s hard top was like a torpedo through them.
Kim and I were a bit like a bumper boat!
I like knowing that my inflatable doesn’t harm the mangroves as much as the hard tops do when crashing. Although Kim was very nervous that we’d pop, I was confident in the sturdiness of Nanner (the name I’ve given my beautiful, yellow, inflatable kayak).
We did run aground a few times. These narrower mangroves were really shallow. It was probably super low tide in the afternoon that we went. Indeed, we emerged into the Hamsen Bayou and saw just how shallow it really was when a bird appeared to be walking on water!
I had to pull the SKEG off the bottom of the inflatable at one point because we definitely were going to get stuck with it in. The SKEG helps keep the kayak pointed straight when it’s windy. Wind wasn’t a problem inside the mangroves but hitting bottom definitely was!
We had to stand in some pretty thick and nasty mud to lift the kayak up and remove the SKEG, but once we did we had a much easier time sliding along as we bottomed out. It was quite the adventure and totally a big part of the memory and fun.
We had so many laughs—I really needed the friend time after so many months (and days) adventuring alone.
Once we made our way back from Hamsen Bayou, we made a pit stop at a little beach area where the tour groups were congregating.
Stopping for Lunch
We chose to stay far away from the people as we ate lunch and then enjoyed the views of Bird Key homes across the bay.
This stretch of sand leads down to Lido Key’s public beach area.
Along the way, there are signs reminding people about how to protect the Gopher Tortoises in the area. We didn’t see any but it was nice to see these signs in an effort to protect the local wildlife.
On the way down, we walked a path between the bushes and brambles that make up South Lido Park.
On the way back, we walked the edge of the beach and spotted a huge ship. I think it is a dredging ship—a part of Sarasota Bay’s Estuary Program.
In Conclusion
Overall, we were really impressed with the beautiful water, the views, and the pristine mangroves at Ted Sterling and Lido Key. We spent a few hours kayaking and, even though we had a bite to eat, we gained an appetite for more food. So we headed back to the launch spot to pack up and find a restaurant to order from.
Next time, I share about my third and final adventure of the day—our take out dinner picnic to Siesta Beach! It’s considered the #1 beach in the USA for a reason. You’ll see!
That will be the last post in this Gulf Coast series. So check back next time to get the final installment!
