Story:
My wife and I were thrilled when we discovered Emerson Point, a 365 acre preserve located at the western tip of Snead Island in western Palmetto. The preserve have multi-use trails and is a wonderful place to observe wildlife. Another great feature is the kayak/canoe launch that allows access to tidal canals and opens into Terra Ceia Bay.
It was a PERFECT day for a paddle! Upon launching our Wilderness Systems Pamlico Pro tandem kayak, we went through a small mangrove tunnel that opend into a small pond. Across this, we entered into another mangrove tunnel.
Mangrove tunnels are like a trail through the woods except that instead of walking on land, you are gliding through mangroves on the water, in our case, in a kayak. Like being in the woods, as you move through the mangrove tunnel, you are in the shade since the tops of the mangroves protect you from the sun. Going through these is very cool.
Soon we found ourselve at a bridge where the walking trail goes overhead. Beyond this was where the mangrove tunnel opens up into Terra Ceia Bay. Upon entering the bay, the water was very shallow and, know the tides was going out, we were concerned about our ability to enter the mangrove tunnel for our return.
We headed east along the south shore of the bay until we approached Little Bird Key. We decided circle this island clockwise so that as we continued east, the key would block some of the wind that was coming from the east south east.
Although the were some boaters on the bay, traffic seemed minimal and the waves from this traffic and from the wind never became an issue. Circling the key, we basked in the perfect weather and enjoyed the openness of being in the bay.
As we rounded the far side of the key, the wind kicked up until we turned into Champlain Bayou for our return. The water surface became smooth and the wind was now towards our backs. Along the way we looked at the houses along the shoreline. Champlain Bayou then opened up into Clambar Bayou which opened up towards the west.
Across the bay is a large area of mangroves at the tip of Terra Ceia peninsula. Rising beyond these mangroves stood the majestic towers and suspension cables of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge that spans the 10 mile stratch across the mouth of Tampa Bay.
Soon after taking a pictutre of the Skyway, we were startled by a BIG, sudden thrashing in the water. My wife let out a scream and as I turned to look, I saw the back of a manatee quickly surface as it snapped its tail is a powerful thrust and, just as quickly, it disappered below the surface of the bay. We had obviously glided up to it and startled it and, in turn, it startled us. We felt lucky it did not capsize us.
After the manatee incident, we were ready to get back to the mangrove tunnel, but were concerned about whether or not it would be too shallow at the mouth. Fortunately, we entered the tunnel without any issues. My wife had noticed plenty of starfich laying on the bottom of the mangrove tunnel and took some pictures on the way back.
As we left the tunnel into the open-aired channel, we decided to go left instead of returining the way we came by going right. This was a very peaceful diversion and we found that this channel looped around and brought us back to the pond like area near the launch.
It was a very nice outing and we are looking forward to exploring some of the other launch sites in the Terra Ceia Bay area.
My wife and I were thrilled when we discovered Emerson Point, a 365 acre preserve located at the western tip of Snead Island in western Palmetto. The preserve have multi-use trails and is a wonderful place to observe wildlife. Another great feature is the kayak/canoe launch that allows access to tidal canals and opens into Terra Ceia Bay.
It was a PERFECT day for a paddle! Upon launching our Wilderness Systems Pamlico Pro tandem kayak, we went through a small mangrove tunnel that opend into a small pond. Across this, we entered into another mangrove tunnel.
Mangrove tunnels are like a trail through the woods except that instead of walking on land, you are gliding through mangroves on the water, in our case, in a kayak. Like being in the woods, as you move through the mangrove tunnel, you are in the shade since the tops of the mangroves protect you from the sun. Going through these is very cool.
Soon we found ourselve at a bridge where the walking trail goes overhead. Beyond this was where the mangrove tunnel opens up into Terra Ceia Bay. Upon entering the bay, the water was very shallow and, know the tides was going out, we were concerned about our ability to enter the mangrove tunnel for our return.
We headed east along the south shore of the bay until we approached Little Bird Key. We decided circle this island clockwise so that as we continued east, the key would block some of the wind that was coming from the east south east.
Although the were some boaters on the bay, traffic seemed minimal and the waves from this traffic and from the wind never became an issue. Circling the key, we basked in the perfect weather and enjoyed the openness of being in the bay.
As we rounded the far side of the key, the wind kicked up until we turned into Champlain Bayou for our return. The water surface became smooth and the wind was now towards our backs. Along the way we looked at the houses along the shoreline. Champlain Bayou then opened up into Clambar Bayou which opened up towards the west.
Across the bay is a large area of mangroves at the tip of Terra Ceia peninsula. Rising beyond these mangroves stood the majestic towers and suspension cables of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge that spans the 10 mile stratch across the mouth of Tampa Bay.
Soon after taking a pictutre of the Skyway, we were startled by a BIG, sudden thrashing in the water. My wife let out a scream and as I turned to look, I saw the back of a manatee quickly surface as it snapped its tail is a powerful thrust and, just as quickly, it disappered below the surface of the bay. We had obviously glided up to it and startled it and, in turn, it startled us. We felt lucky it did not capsize us.
After the manatee incident, we were ready to get back to the mangrove tunnel, but were concerned about whether or not it would be too shallow at the mouth. Fortunately, we entered the tunnel without any issues. My wife had noticed plenty of starfich laying on the bottom of the mangrove tunnel and took some pictures on the way back.
As we left the tunnel into the open-aired channel, we decided to go left instead of returining the way we came by going right. This was a very peaceful diversion and we found that this channel looped around and brought us back to the pond like area near the launch.
It was a very nice outing and we are looking forward to exploring some of the other launch sites in the Terra Ceia Bay area.
Tips:
If you want to get out to the bay, plan the tides. Low tide will strand you if you're not careful.
Where the mangrove tunnel opens into the bay, it is very shallow. Keet to the left (west) and it is a little deeper there.
If you want to get out to the bay, plan the tides. Low tide will strand you if you're not careful.
Where the mangrove tunnel opens into the bay, it is very shallow. Keet to the left (west) and it is a little deeper there.
Tags:
Kayak, Kayaking, STerra Ceia Bay, Emerson Point, Palma Sola, Palmetto, Florida
Kayak, Kayaking, STerra Ceia Bay, Emerson Point, Palma Sola, Palmetto, Florida
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