RVing Directory in North America

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This is What Distinguishes an Ocean Kayak From the Rest of the Kayaks

By PETER GITUNDU

Originally, kayaks were made to be sailed or to be used on until, calm lake water. However, with passing year use of kayaks in ocean, kayaking is increased and now this ocean kayak is also very popular. Original design of kayak was suitable for calm water but for using it for sailing on sea their design is somewhat modified. To cope up with changing weather of ocean these kayaks are built more wide and their cargo carrying capacity is better than whitewater kayaks.
The best part of this ocean kayak is that they can glide when needed, so ocean kayak can move around without making any kind of noise; this is perfect for who loves to watch nature or love to photography with complete concentration or best thing fishing. Unlike the motor boats these ocean kayak will be quite, an ideal condition for fishing.
Ocean kayaking is not the same as kayaking in lake. You must learn basics of ocean kayaking before kayaking trip. If you are beginner then, it advisable for you take some experienced person with you on ocean kayaking trip. Always check whether your ocean kayak and other gears are in excellent condition before starting kayak trip. Do not forget to carry container that floats with you.
If you are planning to buy one ocean kayak for you, they decide if you are planning to use ocean kayak with your family, as ocean kayak needs to be perfectly balanced float on ocean water perfectly. It is very important to check sea worthiness of an ocean kayak.
Getting a perfect ocean kayak is not a problem. There are many websites and online store are there on internet that will give you quite good ocean kayak and gears. Never attempt to use your whitewater or lake kayak in ocean it could be dangerous.
Basic structure of ocean kayak is completely different. Ocean kayaks are huge; means have longer length than normal kayaks. These ocean kayaks are about fifteen plus feet longer and about 26 inches wider. Cockpit of ocean kayaks can be built as per your specification if you want it large choose larger. Most common size of ocean kayaks is in between 12 to 15 feet and usually kayaks long lengths are built for two paddlers. Ocean kayak usually 18″ to 28″ wide but some special type of kayak like surf skies, which is specially designed for wave surfing are not wide. Longer length of ocean kayaks increases their stability while sailing and keep them in straight line.
Weekend trip with night camping is popular amongst recreational kayakers and you can combine ocean kayaking tour with watching wild life. Contemporary ocean kayak are designed to carry more equipments and things for trip for two weeks. Even expedition kayaks are there, which can be loaded with very heavy load.
With few training sessions of ocean kayaking and you are ready to go for kayak trip that too with your family. These coaching sessions are available on all major beaches and sports clubs. This will defiantly help you to have fun kayak trip.
Muna wa Wanjiru Has Been Researching and Reporting on Kayaking for Years. For More Information on Ocean Kayak, Visit His Site at OCEAN KAYAK

Kayaking the inner secrets of Green Florida

Kayaking the inner secrets of Green Florida

Angling Florida waters is a blend of open oceans and seas to bays, beaches, brackish water rivers, creeks and streams, which make up inshore Florida. A demarcation between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean noticed only by a thinly spread of islands, known as the Keys and its exceptional styles and varieties of fish caught either on land or onboard. If you need it, Inshore Florida at The Reel Deal will get it; outboard/inboard motor parts to any angling gear you cannot find; also carrying a small but select inventory of products to aid you in catching fish within and beyond Inshore Florida. Looking for an adventure to remember and cherish for a lifetime, kayaks to backpacks, a journey in Florida green, providing you with a free no fee charter guide referral service from offshore big game to inshore whatever and backcountry drifting trips too. Kayaking the inner secrets of Florida’s estuaries and mangrove-lined creeks to canals, where you, like the Indians of yesteryear once paddled quietly across the skinnies in search of his quest. Exotic birds to alligators on the waters; a photographic moment waiting to be caught in time with Inshore Florida-Offshore Wherever, helping you find what you want while visiting us here in the Sunshine State and becoming a better Angling Florida waters is a blend of open oceans and seas to bays, beaches, brackish water rivers, creeks and streams, which make up inshore Florida. A demarcation between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean noticed only by a thinly spread of islands, known as the Keys and its exceptional styles and varieties of fish caught either on land or onboard. If you need it, Inshore Florida at The Reel Deal will get it; outboard/inboard motor parts to any angling gear you cannot find; also carrying a small but select inventory of products to aid you in catching fish within and beyond Inshore Florida. Looking for an adventure to remember and cherish for a lifetime, kayaks to backpacks, a journey in Florida green, providing you with a free no fee charter guide referral service from offshore big game to inshore whatever and backcountry drifting trips too. Kayaking the inner secrets of Florida’s estuaries and mangrove-lined creeks to canals, where you, like the Indians of yesteryear once paddled quietly across the skinnies in search of his quest. Exotic birds to alligators on the waters; a photographic moment waiting to be caught in time with Inshore Florida-Offshore Wherever, helping you find what you want while visiting us here in the Sunshine State and becoming a better steward to your marine surroundings and practicing CPR when ever possible (Catch, Photograph and Release).
Ward to your marine surroundings and practicing CPR when ever possible (Catch, Photograph and Release).

SNOOK HAVEN; -YOU AND ME AND A CANOE

Take I-75 south to exit 191 and go west about a mile, and then turn left onto East Venice Avenue.
River tours run Wednesday-Sunday, 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., $10-$12 person.
Don’t let the dirt road fool you, just keep on trekking and you will dead end into the river or parking lot, and they both are at the end, next to Snook Haven.

At Snook Haven, little has but changed but the faces and styles; all that remain of a day from our past. If you sit back, you can still hear Johnny Weissmuller ordering a cold can of brew from over the bar back. Old style pictures still hang at crooked angles and if you listen carefully, ignoring the hustle and bustle of the modern world down the road, you will hear a raptor’s cry as Marlene orders the same, waiting from a break in the rain, before filming again begins with Revenge of the Killer Turtles (1947). As an old Florida, bayou-style restaurant and pleasantly primitive entertainment venue, Snook Haven Restaurant & Fish Camp has been a fixture in Venice for more than 50 years. Even before that, anglers traversing the fish-filled waters of the Myakka River in the early 1900s camped in the area. Used as everything from fish camp to fish house, this journey back into time is well worth the time to visit. Back when I first moved to Venice, Florida, Snook Haven is where I set up my head quarters and rendezvous for ReelnFish Charters. Running clients up the river for a chance to mingle with our Florida wildlife and catch Bass to freshwater Channel Catfish. Big cats in the twenty-pound plus range on light tackle to cane poles. Camping on the banks or overnight pack-ins. Moving down stream, we would catch everything from Snook to Reds and if the tides are right, you can catch Bull sharks on one side of the river and Bass on the other, along with an occasional Blue crab too. Now retired to angling and writing about it instead, I enjoy my visits back where “Tarzan” slept lazily along an out stretched branch of a giant oak draped with Spanish moss beyond the restaurant's waterfront, back deck. There one can find a canoe tucked between a fleet canoes to kayaks loosely tied to the aging dock. Here you can elect to explore the slow-moving waters by powerboat or as Snook Haven's slogan states - "You and a Canoe" – paradise to me! In the canoe the river is yours, at eye level with the crocks, the beauty is bountiful. One and a half hours at fifteen dollars is a steal of a deal for either a canoe or kayak, with all safety equipment provided. If you own a boat of 17 feet or small, you may use their boat ramp at a reasonable charge of five dollars plus tax. The boat launch is closed because of the crowds and live bands on Saturdays & Sunday’s between 11-6 and on Thursday between 8-3and the rest of the time restricted to dawn to dusk exclusively!
Once the haunts of the “King”, Elvis and Senator Kennedy before he was President and twice visited by President Regan and Bush Sr., Snook Haven is a rendezvous with the past on the sun-dappled shores of the winding Myakka River in Venice. Think giant oaks draped with Spanish moss, graceful cabbage palms, and tea-colored waters flowing by. Two movies have been filmed there, the most famous a Tarzan flick called Revenge of the Killer Turtles. On Thursdays, the public is invited to hear the Gulf Coast Banjo Society practice from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., and every Sunday the place overflows with weekend bikers and other regulars who gather round the shaded outdoor picnic tables to listen to live music. For overnight stays, you can bring your own RV or rent one of the fully furnished cabins. Call first, though, as many are undergoing renovation. Snook Haven also offers guided pontoon boat charters up and down the Myakka River. Bring a camera; one November afternoon, one of the largest alligators the boat captain said he has ever seen charged the charter and dove straight under. Even grown men shrieked. But the boat also meanders down some spectacularly scenic stretches of pristine county-owned lands that will never be developed. River tours are available Wednesday through Sunday. You can eat indoors or dine outside at a wooden table overlooking the river. Lunch is served from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; dinner runs from 4-9 p.m. seven days a week. Specialties include gator bites (of course!) and grouper, fried, grilled or blackened. Try it stuffed with crab or with the shrimp and clam platter. December, when the early mornings and evening are cool, is a splendid time of year for this experience. Bring bug spray, as the mosquitoes can be vicious.

Venice Florida; Vacations to Dive For!

By Gary Andersons Inshore Florida-Offshore anywhere, an Angling Entrepreneur’s Adventure, whether you are looking on the skinnies of kayaking the flats to extreme shark angling off the local pier or just a dipping of the sand scoops in search of Megalodon Shark Teeth, the beaches of Venice Florida are known as the World's Shark Tooth Capital. What could be more fun than getting up early...?

Imagine an adventure in combing the beaches, looking for shark's teeth and sea shells and not just any sharks tooth but that of the most feared of all sea creatures of the time, Megalodon (believed to be over 60 feet in length) with an open jaw largest enough for a six foot person to stand in. Chances are good on excavating one of these teeth and more along the shoreline of our Venice Florida beaches, with sand scoop but do not, despair if the great mega tooth is still buried out there somewhere; tiger, bull, sandbar and mako are a sure scoop. Bring a snorkel and fins to pick up some nice souvenirs off the fossilized coral bottom off Alhambra, which is nice at an eight-foot dive for easy pickings. Further off the beach is “The Bone Yard”, located on the shoals of the “Venice Reef”. A swim from the beach is possible but a boat is better for the return swim can become tiresome. Located in 25 to thirty feet deep waters to the wash or sides of this concrete, rebar structured reef are some rather large finds in big teeth and quaintly too. Located between the Venice Pier and the run off pipes on the beach, the reef is a tricky one to find unless you have its numbers or wish to crisis-cross until you find that 17 foot bump; top of the reef. A new eBook called Numbers is coming out early next month for around a buck and with it; you can have all the dive/angling spots you ever wanted to add to your own numbers book. A listing of all reefs, their consistency and GPS/Loran coordinates. Now you too can fish like the pro’s or dive with the best in finding beauty to artifacts from the depths of Davie Jones Locker!

Prehistoric relics of miniature horses to giant wooly mastodons are strewn everywhere and mixed along among the seashells, which you find here are beyond description! Stunning! If you are looking for a weekend day-trip, remember the beaches of Venice, Florida! Venice is less than an hour's drive south of the Clearwater, Safety Harbor area or driving north from the Ft. Myers area; it is the perfect place for a family adventure! Six to nine foot sharks are caught and released in an Eco-Angling Event on the weekends by local area Venice Pier Anglers, (The Island Anglers), catching present day tigers, bulls, nurse, hammerheads and at least 10 other smaller varieties of “jaws.”

Great restaurants to places to stay, motels to quaint Bed and Breakfast’s; Venice Florida is but centrally located to fun and adventures abound. Drop on by and see just why downtown Venice is a transudation of laid backed luxury in visitor’s reclamations of our old style Floridian past. “Pull up a chair and stay awhile, y’here!”

If you are in need of air to fins, check out our two area shops:

• Florida West Scuba School

• Scuba Quest

A Demarcation of CPR and Styles of Angling Inshore Florida

Angling Florida waters is a blend of open oceans and seas to bays, beaches, brackish water rivers, creeks and streams, which make up inshore Florida. A demarcation between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean noticed only by a thinly spread of islands, known as the Keys and its exceptional styles and varieties of fish caught either on land or onboard. If you need it, The Reel Deal of Inshore Florida will get it; outboard/inboard motor parts to any angling gear you cannot find; also carrying a small but select inventory of products to aid you in catching fish within and beyond Inshore Florida. We also provide you with a free no fee charter guide referral service from offshore big game to inshore whatever and backcountry drifting trips to kayaking the inner secrets of Florida’s estuaries and mangrove-lined creeks to canals, where you too, like the Indians of the past once paddled quietly across the skinnies in search of his quest. Birding to backpack trips too, giving you, our customer, an adventure to cherish for a lifetime; kayaks to backpacks, a journey in Florida green or to a product you know delivers! Inshore Florida-Offshore Wherever, helping you find more fish while becoming a better steward to your marine surroundings and practicing CPR when ever possible (Catch, Photograph and Release).

Snorkeling to Walks on the Beach in finding sharks teeth in Venice, Fl.

Collecting prehistoric shark’s teeth has been a favorite pastime of visitors and residents of the Venice area for years. They may be black, brown, or gray, depending on the minerals in the soil in which they have been buried. They range in size from one eighth inch to three inches, and on rare occasions more

Sharks of all species continually shed their teeth and grow new ones. They have 40 or more teeth in each jaw. Behind the functional rows or teeth are seven other rows of teeth developing into mature dentures to replace teeth as they are shed or lost. In ten years, an average Tiger shark can produce as many as 24,000 teeth.

For millions of years, sharks have lived, as seen by the catches from the city-fishing pier and died in the Gulf of Mexico of our Venice beaches, remembered by the teeth left behind. Dead sharks sink to the ocean floor where they are covered by layers of sand and silt. Over time, the cartilage of their bodies disintegrates. Water and storm action eventually sweeps the sand away, exposing the teeth. Some are washed up on shore with the changing tides and waves. The Casperson’s and Venice beach areas are littered with remains of previous snowbirds from the skeletal remains of fierce saber cats, gentle sea cows, massive mammoths and mastodons, Volkswagen-size armadillos, and the ancient five-ton giant ground sloth, now found in pieces all a shoreline, mixed with sharks teeth to become relics of our past to take home to remember.

Historical Finds On the Beach of Venice Florida

The furthest north is the Jetties to the Venice Public Beach. Parking is all close, and you can usually find a parking spot any time of the year. Head out past the swim buoys.

South of the public beach, is the Alhambra Bone Site. It is immediately to the North of the northern most condominiums, where Alhambra Street dead-ends, hence the name of this dive site. Just park as close to the dead end as you can, but make sure you do not restrict the driveways on the south (into the condominiums). Walk straight out, past some large white drainage pipes. Looking back at shore, the best chance of finding teeth are between the south side of the northern most condo building (to the south) and three very tall pine trees close together to the north (they'll be obvious). Go out past the sandbar. If you continue out to about half a mile, you will find yourself on the Venice Beach Reef, a manmade pile of roadwork’s and sewage pipes dumped years ago.


South of Alhambra street is the Venice Fishing Pier, and there is diving to the north and south of it. You can either park in the parking lot for Sharky's or in another parking lot just to the North next to a Coast Guard substation. Just head West out past the second sandbar. Stay clear of the pier unless you are into being hooked up. It is also a state law which is seldom enforced but when it is, the fines are stiff with your gear all confiscated and the end to a could have been great day.

There are a couple of showers here, restrooms and shaded pavilion with water and, of course, Sharky’s is itself a great place to eat; Sharky’s on the Pier.

Just south of the pier is another place to dive. There are a couple places to park, one parking lot at the dog park. This is where Mastodon leg bone to tusks has been found fossilized onto old coral beds just off the beach in an area called “The Springs.” This is where I found my saber tooth, out not more than twenty feet from the waters edge.

Casperson Beach is the most southern of the beaches. It has three parking lots, but you will want to get there early, as the good spots are taken quickly, and it can be a long sandy trek to the water. Head west and drop past the sandbar, just past the rock cropping or jetties are a sure find in some larger pieces.


The Bone Yard of Golden Beach is another site, but is out just far enough, like the Venice Beach Reef to its right, that it is best not as a shore dive but with a scooter or off your boat. I do not have any coordinates, but you will want to anchor due west of a pair of large, white drainage pipes. There are two sets, actually, one on each side of the northern most condominiums south of the Venice Inlet. You want to anchor off the Southern pipes in around 25' of water, lining up in a triangular position to the pine trees, water tank and pipes.

The beds start in around 13’ of water, and continue out as far as you can go on a shore dive. I spend most of my time between 13’ and 18’. After the sandbar, drop and head west. The bottom will either be sand or small rubble, and at the southern spots, small ledges and rock outcroppings along with the Gulf’s version of a reef. Because of the City of Venice “renourishment” projects that increased foreign sands to cover our unique black sands it created another beach to wash away through erosion and wasteful dollars all while covering up the cities motto “Venice, Sharks tooth Capital of the World.” Only now those teeth are but a few feet down and diving is best in finding the big ones like use to be found daily before the new beach was introduced to the snowbirds while destroying our underwater ecosystem.

At the northern sites, there is not much structure at all; again buried under our new beach construction. When you do come across rocks or other features, pay attention to the seaward side, otherwise, look for little gullies that run north and south. The bottom of these hold a lot of teeth, mainly Sand Tiger, Bull, and Lemons, with the occasional Tiger, Snaggletooth, Great White and Melodeon. Megs are also more common at the bone yard, and they have found at least 6 1/2”out there.


You can either dig to find the teeth or just scan the bottom, looking for black patches After you find a couple, you will tend to see more as you more aware of what you are looking for. Digging can be done by fanning my hand over the sand, blowing the sand in the direction of the current.

For strolling the beach in search of history, at the waters edge, there is usually a ledge (around 1’ deep, sloping to the sandy bottom of backwash). In spots, this has large shell deposits, other times it is made of sand. If you scoop into the shells and look, you will find sharks teeth here. You can find a dozen or so if you look for an hour. This to be the best spot in the whole of Florida in finding beach snook, if you are into fishing and shelling.

A fine mesh bag and a Dive Flag. You may want to bring something to dig with (a beach scoop if not diving), but I would not bother if diving for a waving of your hand is enough.

You need to have a flag to dive here, there have been tickets issued to people who were not carrying one. Otherwise, the boaters would not have any navigational buoys. Seriously, be aware on your ascents. Pops to a prop can be a deadly experience, not to mention the bump to the head!

How do you know the conditions are good? You do not. Not even if you were there last week. Visibility is hit or miss, mostly hit in the summer, mostly miss in the winter. There needs to be a couple of nice days with either no wind or wind out of the east for a clean clear dive. Water temperature varies from the mid 40’s to the mid 90’s.

Seahorses and pipefish, schools of sheepshead, pinfish, Blue and stone crabs, flounder, starfish, ornamentals to bait fishes, mackerels, reds, blues and to many to mention swimming above the sand dollars below. If the sand dollar is any color other than white, it is alive, so leave it be, removing only the whitish ones. Sharks are abundant off Venice, which is evident from the teeth in your bag but live ones are out too. Though some fourteen varieties of shark are caught from the Venice City Pier, never, knock on wood, has their been a shark attack and man eaters are caught by The Island Anglers of Venice all the time from Bulls to Tiger Sharks. I have never seen a shark while snorkeling off the Venice shoreline but beware of the Mantis Shrimp, for they do live within and on the rocky outcroppings along the bottom. Commercial anglers label them as thumb splitters when inadvertently picking one up. On one finger of their claws lies folded with a groove in much, the same was as the blade of a pocketknife does in its handle. During a strike at prey, this unfolding motion can occur in less than 1/125^th of a second, or eight milliseconds, with the force of a small caliber bullet. It is one of the fastest animal movements known.

“FISH ON!”

Shelling; an Exercise in Green

Exercising in Green

Lunging or exercising in green is achieved through our Inshore Florida Green EcoShelling Tour, while walking the beach line from Casperson’s Beach to the Venice City Pier at Sharky’s. Walking is a cheap and simple way to burn calories and can be done anywhere, as we do out on Casperson’s Beach. With the addition of walking lunges to your walks, reaching out in casting to scooping a shelling shovel, stretches the muscles in ones lower body and increases blood flow to flexibility in the hip flexors. Lunges also strengthen your quads and abs in the process. We begin with a warm up in a medium walk along the beaches edge as we search for washed up teeth and bone for about ten minutes. With your beach scoop in both hands, much like one would hold a baseball bat; reach forward in a digging motion at the lap of the shore while standing with your feet together. As you inhale, take a huge step forward with your right foot. Exhale, and bend your right knee and lower your left knee into a lunge position with your left heel lifted. You can lower your left knee as far down as you want until you feel a good stretch in the front of your left hip. Then inhale as you step your left foot forward to meet your right foot, while pulling the scoop towards you. Exhale as you pull the scoop up and dump the contents onto the sand beside you. Now inhale, and step forward with your left foot. Exhale, bend the left knee and lower your right knee into a lunge. Inhale, and step your right foot forward to meet your left. Then exhale to prepare for the next lunge. Repeat on both sides 10 to 20 times, filling the scoop and dumping. Rest time is now playtime as you sift with your fingers through your pile in search of prehistorically shark’s teeth to bones and shell. Then when your pile is flattened out, it is back to regular walking for another 10 minutes. Repeating the walking lunges to scoops a second time, and then walk for another 10 minutes with a additional scoop to end this eco-friendly hike down the beach in helping you to a healthy fit body and finding some sharks teeth too. $25.00 per person, loaner scoops available along with water and guided tour of beach area. Contact us for more details or our exclusive EcoAngling or EcoSurf Tours…

CASPERSON’S SHARK WALKS…ECOGREEN TOURS

Pristine white sand beaches on their gulf sides and dense mangrove forests to the east display surprisingly diverse ecosystems along with North America’s best shelling, great biking/hiking trails, and acre upon acre of wildlife sanctuary. In fact, Casperson’s Beach is so eco-minded that laws prevent buildings or constructed along its shoreline ever from happening! Nearly 400 species of multi-colored seashells found in the region range from the common scallop to the rare brown speckled junonia along with pre-historic horse, mastodon and a variety of sharks teeth. Seashells are often hidden just beneath the surface of sand where the surf breaks, and can be collected by wading, scooping or snorkeling along the surf line. The gradual slope of the gulf acts like a ramp to encourage shells to roll onto the beach – especially when driven in by northwestern storm fronts. Such storms are common in December and January when cold fronts pass through. While there is never a bad time to shell, optimum collecting occurs in early morning, low tide, and after storms. Escape to an oasis of luxury and tranquility... wide, uncrowned beaches decorated with beautiful seashells and sharks teeth... serene natural surroundings... panoramic views of the Gulf of Mexico... magnificent sunsets... all yours to enjoy on a Casperson’s Beach walk. We talk the talk while you walk the walk, from the Indian mound park out to along the beach line of Casperson’s Beach, rated as one of the worlds most unspoiled beaches; National Geographic. Offering gliding pelicans to diving dolphins and ending with a cool breeze as you sip on a snack from the infamous “Sharky’s on the Pier.” Shelling bags & Scoops Provided. Morning or afternoon Eco Tourism Tour by Eco-Green-Tours…

Eco-Green Florida Kayaking

Kayak Sales & Accessories Available Upon Request

Inviting You to Experience

“A Journey in Discover.”

Whether you like to take it easy or test the limits of your endurance, from

dipping your paddle to treks through our past, Eco-Florida is one of the best ways to discover your innersole.

The tranquility of being at one with nature in exploring the thousands of passages one stroke at a time. There is no better way to explore the natural beauty of Eco-Florida than walking to hiking along the trails or kayaking through the majestic bays of our Sharks Tooth Coast you will find from tip to tip, tailor-made for outdoor adventure. Trekking along routes from those before us, as well of that of the deer, hog and panther in an awe of the tropical magnetism drawing you deeper into and encompassing Florida as not seen before by many a present century man.

Experience nature in its purest form; yakking. Drink in the spectacular scenery of pristine forests and untrammeled wilderness as you embark as our ancestors did one hundred years ago as you glide through the mangroves,

in search of elusive Snook and apprehensive Reds as our countries symbol of liberty sails overhead; the eagle. Alligators to
migratory birds--pelicans, ospreys, herons, egrets,
and even bald eagles-are abundant, along with a
myriad of other wildlife. Over three-hundred species of plants including
wild lilies and orchids enhancing the beauty of ECo-Florida’s
bayous and wetlands. Pristine outflows of red, white and black mangroves,

guppies to minnows a haven to hide from ambushing predators as you slip past with but the sound of a cast

and the splash of the set, “FISH ON!” in a battle to never forget. Tarpon, Snook, juvenile Cobia, Redfish to trout, spinning or on the fly, ECo-Florida hooks you up!

Pier Expeditions in angling for shark and pelagic also available upon request.

Contact Us At:

Green Florida Eco Tours

All content, except where noted,

1997 - 2008

Inshore Florida dot com
all rights reserved

Ethical Responsibilities For Children to “Get Outdoors.”

On a walk through a typical American neighborhood this summer, one might be hard pressed to find a bare-foot kid chasing down a toad, building a tree fort in the woods, or flying a kite in the park. Organized play at the local sports complex has replaced unstructured play in the backyard to time spent in the woods or on the beach. As American childhood has moved indoors, research shows that many of today’s children are actually gaining weight during the summer break. And as electronic entertainment replaces both structured and unstructured outdoor experiences, many children are being raised so cut off from their natural world that they are not developing a connection with nature. Not only is this connection an important quality-of-life issue by contributing to emotional and physical well being, it also forms the cornerstone to environmental stewardship ethics.

When watching animal shows on TV becomes the closest many of today’s kids get to the great outdoors, we risk the health of our children and endanger the prospect of developing future stewards of the natural environments. That is why The Island Anglers, the National Wildlife Foundation, Inshore Florida, Reel Addiction Sportfishing and Eco-Green Florida Kayak to Backpack Tours will use its resources to

“encourage parents and caregivers to get kids to go outside and play and to ask policy makers to take action.”

The average child today spends more than 6 hours a day watching TV, playing video games or on a computer. Conversely, the amount of time U.S. children now spend outdoors has declined by 50 percent in the past 20 years.

Author Richard Louv described this American trend in his 2005 book, Last Child in the Woods, and even gave it a name, “nature deficit”.

“The phrase ‘go outside and play’ sums up the summer experiences that I remember growing up as a youth, as do many an American fondly remembers. But today’s kids rarely hear these four little words. The sad reality is that American childhood has moved indoors and in front of a TV, x-box and all. Meanwhile, our kid’s face an epidemic of childhood obesity and a troubling disconnect with nature.”

Connecting our children to nature through outdoor experiences pays clear dividends: children who play outside are more active and more physically fit; time in nature improves children’s academic performance, concentration, balance, coordination, and self-esteem; and playing outside even reduces the severity of symptoms of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which affects millions of American children.

Environmental education increases student engagement in science, improves student achievement in core subject areas, and increases student awareness about individual actions they can take to restore the health of the natural environment; and

Children who spend time in nature are more likely to have pro-environmental attitudes as adults. Time spent in nature with an important adult often shapes a child’s long-term environmental ethic. If this nature deficit continues unabated, we may face a dearth of environmental leaders, professionals, and advocates as we try to conquer future environmental challenges like climate change. Mentoring is but our highest goal and must continue through volunteers and all who are of interest to our future and that of our children’s, children’s future!

Solutions for reversing nature deficit and connecting our children to nature, and ourselves at the same time are available through organizations like The Island Anglers, the National Wildlife Foundation, Inshore Florida, Reel Addiction Sportfishing and Eco-Green Florida Kayak to Backpack Tours. The National Wildlife Foundation has compiled a list of solutions that offer ways for parents to take action within our communities, at the state level, and at the national level. Some of these include connecting kids to nature through environmental education, promoting outdoor play through our public health systems, and encouraging parents to build in regular time for outdoor play through the National Wildlife Foundation online parent resource, Green Hour, to which Florida’s Mentoring Initiate and The Island Anglers, Inshore Florida, Reel Addiction Sportfishing and Eco-Green Florida Kayak to Backpack Tours support and encourage all to get involved.


For summer outdoor activity ideas and other online resources, please visit www.greenhour.org.

Or with those who also would support such an endeavor:

The Island Anglers

Inshore Florida

Reel Addiction Sportfishing

Eco-Green Florida Kayak to Backpack Tours

National Wildlife Federation

Support us in supporting your outdoor and our children’s future.

Thank You

Florida Green Vacations

GREEN VACATION DESTINATIONS:

Charlotte Harbor, Lemon Bay, The Ditch into Snook Alley (Venice Inlet), Blackburn Point

With our convenience in location to our logistical movements through use of trailers or power boating, our kayaks can be transported to almost anywhere you wish to go so that you can go where the fish are. Offering trips to throughout the Sharks Tooth Coast and surrounding waters of Charlotte Harbor to Blackburn Point. You can target spotted Seatrout, snook, redfish, flounder, black drum, pompano, sheepshead, tarpon, mangrove snapper, jack crevalles and shark.

We have spots in Lemon Bay area where we can cast to "tailing" redfish whenever the tide is right. Imagine gliding by a school of tailing redfish, stroking a slight turn in a cast engulfed by one of the tails, in a fantastic show of rod against red and you in the middle of this action, surrounded by now scattering reds! “FISH ON!”

Sarasota Bay

Sarasota Bay is a thriving ecosystem with dynamic flows into this body of water located in Sarasota, FL. These dynamic flows (tidal changes through open inlets and passes) allows for a variety of fishing situations, including beautiful grass flats, shallows and mangrove islands.

Spring to summer, targeting or sight fishing trout’s, redfish, snook through moving columns of greenbacks on the flats and in the shallows. Fall through winter, snook to tarpon can be targeted up creeks, rivers and canals. Sarasota Bay offers other species to include pompano, permit, flounder, jack crevalles, sheepshead, black drum and mangrove snapper, on a regular basis.

Brackish water Exotics

Snook Haven

While the Sarasota through Charlotte county is best known for its saltwater fishing, there are abundant freshwater opportunities waiting to those whom would wish to be one with nature; eye-to-eye in a kayak with an American Alligator is something you will write home about. Historical Snook Haven launches you into the wilds of days gone by in an adventure in angling for both freshwater to saltwater species. The Myakka river, tidal at launch point, was once a filming set for Weismuller in the thirties bringing Tarzan into the conversations of the time. Filming locations were chosen for the Snook Haven area because of its wild attributes to Africa. Largemouth bass, bluegill, tilapia, sunshine bass, Shellcracker, speckled perch and channel catfish are approached above the launch point and on the ebb through low tide with tarpon, snook and small sharks with an inflow or high tide. The best of two worlds flowing down to one float trip on the mighty Myakka River. Wild hogs, Florida panthers, Bald Eagles and exotic birds to turkey share the banks to sky along your float another angling adventure in living life to the fullest, in memories to pass on from Green Florida Eco Tours.

An Expedition On the Boards;

Pier Angling from Pelagic to Sharks, Venice, Florida & El Jobean

Venice City Pier:

Depending on the time of day to the season of the year, this is an opportunity to fish the boards from the Venice City Pier. Located at Sharky’s on the Pier an infamous beachside restaurant with nightly live music and dancing, On the Boards at the T-head you can have a chance of catching almost anything that swims in the Gulf of Mexico. The Venice City Pier is a free pier in that no costs to you is needed, nor are fishing licenses. Following the rules of the pier and catching fish are all that is needed, unless your looking for advice and a chance to come out with us and catch the big one at Sharky’s. Targeting King Mackerels (in season or “the run”), Tarpon to Cobia and the granddaddy of them all, “Jaws” come nightfall. Bull sharks to monster Hammers in the eight-foot plus range is but a common occurrence; why do you think the place is called Sharky’s on the Pier.

“The romantic notion of a moon-light swim is not such a good idea, for sharks turn on from dusk till dawn!”

Over 14 varieties of sharks have been caught from on the boards of the Venice City Pier.

Why not let one of use direct you to your catch of a prize to always remember.

El Jobean Pier:

Located at the mouth of the Myakka River and crossing the skinnies of Charlotte Harbor lies the old railroad tracks turned into a fantastic catch to those in lure of snook to tarpon, the El Jobean Pier. Bring the kids out along with the entire family for a Crabbing Expedition where Blue crabs rule and sheepshead to snapper abound. Cobia and sharks, rays to manatees share the waters surrounding this location. A great way to get away and inexpensive too.

Rates Depend upon time and species, contact us for On the Boards pricing.

Beachscapes;

Nokomis beach, the Jetties, Venice, Casperson’s and Manasota beaches

Offering a unique beachscape expedition or safaris in catching a wide variety of fish while you and your family challenge the shorelines of our majestic Florida shorelines. Leaving the kayaks at behind and walk various beaches from Sarasota to Stump Pass in a quest of angling the waves where you, too can hook it up with Seatrout, jack crevalles, ladyfish, tripletail, Spanish to King mackerels, little tunny, pompano, tarpon and small sharks off the bars.

Wither you wiggle your toes in the sand at beaches edge or do some shelling to the pounding of the surf and salt smells lingering from across the sea oats of the dune, between the bites, a beachscape fishing adventure is fun for all. Sunrise to noon or evening to Sunset expeditions available.

Stump Pass Shelling

A blend of beach to sky to pounding waves as you trek across the sands of time in finding some of the most beautiful shells of this world from the treasures of the Gulf of Mexico. Natural filling or dredging by Mother nature use to give one pilot through these straights into the harbor until of recent when our Corp. of engineers opened the old passage to a professional grade. Known to commercial angler and pirates from our past for the swift currents bringing a bounty of shells from the deep to the shore, as well the fishing for most fish found traversing bay to open water is phenomenal. Cobia, sharks, tarpon and king to trout, Spanish, blues, flounder and an abundant of other species migrating these passages frequently. Wither angling, shelling or both a trip to a point in time lost through the ages and not found to many on the map.

AT Green Florida Eco Tours, we practice CPR as much as possible!

(CATCH, PHOTOGRAPH, RELEASE)

WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING:

Kayaks and safety equipment are provided. In addition, we supply all rods, reels, lures and leaders. We also carry a cooler, ice, water and snacks.

You should bring sunscreen, cap, polarized sunglasses, jacket, wading shoes, camera and a valid Florida Combination Saltwater/Freshwater license with snook stamp attached or freshwater fishing license.

You may purchase a fishing license online at

http://myfwc.com/license.html

or by calling 1-888-FISH FLORIDA (1-888-347-4356). You also can purchase license at most local bait and tackle shops.

CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION, AVAILABILITY AND RATES

KAYAKS TO BACKPACKS A JOURNEY IN FLORIDA GREEN

NATURAL, BEAUTIFUL

ECO-FRIENDLY

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