Kayaking, Snorkeling, and Scalloping

I went snorkeling for scallops this weekend in Port St. Joe and the weather was perfect for it! Our group found the perfect spot to launch kayaks from, St. Joseph Bay Aquatic & Buffer Preserve Kayak & Canoe Launch. Parking was no problem. By sheer coincidence we managed to launch while the tide was in. I usually check the tides, but it completely slipped my mind on this trip.

The most remarkable thing about the kayak launch were the thousands of small fiddler crabs covering the path down to it. I thought my eyes might be playing tricks on me at first; the path looked like it was moving and I could hear clicking noises. As I got closer the chaos continued and I discovered a carpet of fiddler crabs scurrying away from my approach. I've never seen so many in my life!

We put in our kayaks after a brief conversation with another gentleman launching a kayak and then started paddling out into deeper water. Toward the end of scallop season the scallops start heading away from shore and out a bit deeper. Our target was 6-8 feet of water where we'd heard people had been pulling the bigger scallops from. The bigger the scallop, the less scallops you have to clean to get your limit, the limit being 1 pint (cleaned) per person or 2 gallons whole.

I'm not the world's strongest swimmer and I had a bit of trepidation about anchoring in water where I can't touch the bottom. It's hard enough to get in a kayak when it's in the shallows, let alone try to re-enter it when it's in deep water. My kayak is a sit-in, and what I affectionately refer to as a bobber. It's not a low-profile kayak that's made for easy in-and-out access. I'm telling you this because in writing this is called foreshadowing. This paragraph will be important later in the story.

After a few minutes we found a good spot to anchor and hopped in. I have learned from experience that it is much easier to put fins on while in the boat rather than in the water, so I rather awkwardly slithered over the side of the boat almost swamping my little bobber in the process. I put my mask and snorkel on, grabbed a dive bag and my new Canon PowerShot D10 Waterproof Camera and off I went in search of scallops and whatever else might swim my way.

My boyfriend, Kris, was a big help pointing things out for me to take pictures of. He used to be a diver at an aquarium when he was back in high school. He found a Queen Conch for me, a couple of adorable starfish, sand dollars, and a puffer fish. I followed the puffer fish around for quite some time taking pictures, only later to discover that, due to operator error, I hadn't taken a single one. :(

We'd probably been in the water about two or three hours, and as I was happily swimming back to my kayak with a bag full of scallops weighing me down, Kris yells out loud enough for me to hear, “There's a shark in the water.”

Clearly I didn't hear correctly and stopped swimming, “What?”

“The guy in that boat over there,” he says, pointing past me to one of several boats anchored nearby, “is telling everyone to get out of the water because they've spotted a shark.”

I swirled around and looked. Suddenly the other boats were a lot closer than I'd like them to be, but then again, I supposed yelling distance is a good distance. I closed the ten or twelve feet to my kayak in what I'd consider to be a new swimming speed record and somehow managed to not only hurl my dive bag full of scallops onto the closest kayak, but through sheer force of will managed to levitate up and out of the water to delicately plop myself into my kayak.

In truth, I flopped up and onto my kayak like a tired salmon fighting its way upstream. Then I hear Kris tell his friend Stuart, “See, I told you she could get back in her kayak in deep water.”

Normally I'd have some witty and clever comeback, but my next question was, “Where's the shark?” He points to the boat closest to us, maybe half a football field length away. “Alrighty then,” I said. “I'm not getting back into the water.”

I made sure all my arms and legs were onboard my bobber and waited. Our three kayaks were tethered together while we chatted and waited. Kris adjusted the bag of scallops, and as he was dropping it back into the water it grazed my foot (now out of the dive fin and dangling above the water outside of my bobber) and two toes started to bleed. Blood. Great. There's a shark somewhere nearby and my foot is bleeding. Perfect. Can you sense my excitement?

Having an acute sense of survival, I decided that I will not only wait until my foot stops bleeding, but I'm going to have some lunch while I wait for Mr. Shark to get tired of hanging around before I even think about reentering the water.

About an hour later we paddled to a spot just past the boat that signaled the warning and were able to get more details about the shark as we passed them. While they were cleaning scallops a six foot bull shark swam up and circled the boat a few times before disappearing. That's good enough for me. Bull sharks are aggressive and I was glad I stayed in my bobber. Better safe than sorry.

We anchored one last time and did a bit more diving, but it was hitting mid afternoon so we started cleaning scallops (I stayed in my bobber) so we could load up and head back to the hotel. We collected more than the limit and had to put a bunch back. That's okay though, that just means it was a great season for scallops.

Paddling back in was a bit different. When we had first put our kayaks in, I was very perplexed that I hadn't seen the large island that I saw when I looked at the map on Google. Apparently the satellite image had been taken at low tide because the island revealed itself as I was trying to paddle over it. Mystery solved! Luckily my bobber rides high in the water and I only needed a few inches of clearance to paddle. Whew!

We got back to the “fiddler crab” kayak launch, loaded up shop, headed to the hotel, checked in and got cleaned up. Then it was off to “Jo Mama's” for the best brick-oven pizza I've ever tasted. Port St. Joe has a real hometown feel to it, complete with an unhurried, quiet ambiance. You won't find towering condominiums here. This is a destination for people who really want to relax and just enjoy “being.”

All-in-all it was a great trip. We'll definitely be back next year. :)

Scallop photos @ Flickr.

Test Driving Canon's New PowerShot D10 Digital Camera

I couldn't wait to get my hands on Canon's new PowerShot D10 Waterproof Digital Camera. I was practically chomping at the bit while after it wound up on back order, but finally it has arrived and I put it to the test this weekend. Read the full review here

I'd actually combed through other camera brand reviews before choosing to give the PowerShot D10 a chance. At first glance it looks a little bulbous, but after getting my hands on it and seeing what it can do, I'm less worried about it's looks and more thrilled about what it can do.

The PowerShot D10 comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that takes a couple of hours to charge, so while it was doing its thing, I was familiarizing myself with the user manual, something I think everyone could benefit from. You can unlock amazing little secrets that most people never uncover.

As soon as the battery was ready I started putting this little gem through its paces. Closeups? No problem. Underwater? No problem, especially if you make sure to read the manual and take all of the precautions to help protect the camera like ensuring that the seals are free of dust or sand and that the seals are tight. I took the camera out to Choctawhatchee Bay this afternoon, and even though recent rains had clouded the bay up pretty good, I still managed to get sharp, clear photos of aquatic life and had no problems using it while snorkeling around the dock.

Once home I thoroughly rinsed all of the salt water off and uploaded my pics. Everything about this camera is easy. It's destined to become the primary camera in this household.

Outdoor Adventure

Meet the newest Tampa Bay Outdoor Adventure Examiner! I just started writing for the Tampa Bay Examiner, and so far things are going very well. I'd been looking at the Examiner for some time as another paid online writing job in addition to my Feature Writer position over at Suite101.com, but I always felt that it might be a bit too much to take on while still working a 40 hr a week job at the local courthouse, but I finally bit the bullet, applied, and got accepted.

The great thing about the Examiner, besides getting paid to write, is that you can select a specific topic of interest to you and simply write in that topic. Articles are short and examiners need only post 3-4 per week. No sweat, right?

But seriously, someone looking to get into online writing would do good to check out places like the Examiner or Suite101.com. New writers stand to gain valuable feedback and experience from editors and other writers, writers earn money for each article they produce, and writers and their articles receive widespread exposure . If you'd like to try the Examiner, go to the referral page and once you've filled out the application, be sure to select the Examiner that referred you--me-- Beverly Hill or ID #18666.

Gotta get back to work. I've got a few more articles on the burner and they're just itching to be "published." :)

Kayaking in Florida

I've managed to get quite a bit of kayaking in this summer, and I've been paddling all over the Emerald Coast getting photos and material for articles. Best of all I've been having fun doing it and getting fit at the same time.


Right now I have two favorite creeks, but I'm sure one of them will get bumped out of the running later this year if Boiling Creek lives up to expectations. Until then my picks are Turkey Creek and Econfina Creek, the latter of which we'll be doing again this coming weekend. We'll be exploring a different section in order to gain access to more of the springs. I only wish my Canon Powershot D10 12.1 MP waterproof camera had arrived in time. Since I spend so much time on the water, my sweetheart of a boyfriend ordered me one. Alas, it is on back order and I fear that fall and cooler temps will arrive before it does. :(

This past weekend we paddled with a great group of people from the Choctawhatchee Chapter of the Florida Trail Association down Titi Creek near Crestview. The water level was a bit high, but all in all it was a good trip. We plan to paddle it again when the water level is lower.

I've been having so much fun kayaking that I almost haven't had time to sit down and write. I recommend kayaking or canoeing to anyone that's looking to mix fun, relaxation, and a bit of fitness into their routine. It really is an awesome adventure.

Tripod Dog Stars

This week I'm doing my best to gather votes for my little 3-legged pup, Tigger Tot. I've entered her in contest to find "Scrap" who will star in the upcoming movie "Lucky & Rich." Will Tigger make it? The votes will decide.

Tigger's story is a pretty rough one. Her mother was a boxer who was taken to an animal shelter when she became pregnant. Spay or neuter your pets!!! After the pups were born, something horrible happened to our then unnamed pup. The dogs in the adjoining cage grabbed her leg, pulled it through the wire, and ripped it completely off. After the accident, she spent the next four months of her life in a veterinary clinic before finally coming to a rescue group called Save UnderDogs based in Destin, FL.

She wound up with us because we regularly foster dogs for Save UnderDogs. "Triumph" hopped into our home on a cold November afternoon and was quickly renamed "Tigger" because Tiggers bounce and Tiggers are wonderful things. It was a strange transition for Tigger to hop into a home with toys and a yard because she'd spent her entire life in kennels, but after a few days she started to figure it out. She became more confident and began learning commands and how to play with the other dogs and a wolf.

Months passed. It seems that no one wants to adopt a handicapped dog even though to watch Tigger run and jump and play, you almost can't tell she's missing a leg. I'm not even sure she knows. June rolls around and still no permanent home for Tigger, so we decided that she may as well stay with us. Who else is going to spoil her rotten with yogurt and a carrot mixed into her food twice a day? Only us!

Vote for Tigger Tot and help her win a chance at stardom.

Hiking on the Appalachian Trail

I recently returned from a hiking/camping trip along a portion of the Appalachian Trail that began at Deep Gap in North Carolina and traveled south into Georgia to finish at Dick's Creek Gap.

About an hour into the hike one of our hiking companions sustained the first injury. This leg of the AT is extremely rugged with steep climbs and descents, and it wasn't long until a knee injury occurred. By lunchtime on the first day we reached Muskrat Shelter and rested for a bit while we had a brief lunch. Kris has an old knee injury of his own that began to bother him, so we decided that when we pushed on after lunch we would slow the pace.

Upon reaching our destination seven miles from the start we selected a nice site on a ridge top that was somewhat out of the direct line of the gusting wind that blew through the area and strung up our tent hammocks so we could fix dinner and enjoy the tranquility that we'd come in search of. As dusk fell we could make out the faint headlights of cars traveling along a highway many miles away and we began to hear the cry of a nearby owl.

The next morning we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before starting out on the next seven mile leg. Upon retrospect, seven miles a day is the most anyone should consider doing in one day, especially on rugged terrain. The knee joints really start to feel it and there's not enough time available to rest them properly. We'll probably aim for a more conservative 5 miles a day on the next hike, at least if it's rocky.

We started out again on our hike. This section of the hike had more of the steep climbs and descents that started to bother even my good knees by the end of the day. Lunch was at the three story Plum Orchard Gap Shelter. This building was brought in by helicopter by the U.S. Corp of Engineers. It sits about .2 miles off of the main trail near a small stream. There were numerous places to pitch tents and hang hammocks, but our goal was still two miles away at Cowart Gap.

Kris and I decided over dinner due to our knee injuries that we would not be continuing on to Unicoi Gap, our original destination. Instead we would hike 2 ½ miles the next morning to Dick's Creek Gap and have the shuttle pick us up. To push on would mean that we would have to struggle 17 more miles and climb two very steep mountains. The other hiker that was injured on the first day also decided to join our departure.

On our last morning on the trail as we walked alongside of a babbling brook I was fortunate to spot a striped ground squirrel and photograph it. It was a nice way to end three days on the trail. The tent hammocks performed amazingly well and I can say without a doubt that I will never go back to a regular tent unless there are no trees available. The trekking poles were also a life saver. I can't imagine the condition we'd have been in without them.

We'll finish our hike from Dick's Creek Gap to Unicoi Gap another time after our injuries heal. As it was, it was still a nice three days on the AT that we will always remember.

Kayaking on Econfina Creek

Eventually I will get around to posting about the Appalachian hike that I went on recently, but right now I'm writing about yesterday's kayaking trip along the Econfina Creek located between Panama City and Marianna, Fl.

It was a bit of a late start. We didn't get into the water until 10:30. The people we were meeting there decided to change their plans and not show up, so it was just me, Kris, and his friend Stuart. The creek was up due to recent rains, but still easy enough to paddle comfortably, and it wasn't long before we'd paddled into the first spring area. This is why we make the trip. Beautiful crystal clear springs! Along Econfina Creek are 11 springs bubbling forth from 36 vents.

We next traveled downstream to visit as many of the springs as we were able to find. The highlight of the trip is a spring system that has numerous vents and is a great place to stop for lunch and a swim, which is exactly what we did. After about an hour exploring the spring, we set off for our pickup point at the Hwy 388 Bridge. Total trip time was about 4 hours.

If you'd like to visit Econfina Creek and explore the springs, contact the Econfina Creek Canoe Livery. Their contact information can be found in this article.