Clear skies and warm temperatures greeted us on the morning of the 11th. The mangrove tunnels provide a wonderful relief from the summer heat in their shaded canopy. We weren’t the only ones taking refuge in their shady depths. Wading birds and countless fish convene around the shaded fringes. Crabs dart about on the prop roots, occasionally becoming castaways on the bow of our boats. 
We found a sandy beach inlet and went for a swim in the bay. The water temperatures were wonderful. I am always amazed at what a beautiful place we live in.
The highlight of the trip was hanging out with some manatees as the grazed the seagrass beds below us. We spent over 30 minutes just watching them surface around us. From what we could tell, there were at least two adults and one calf. They were very curious and on a couple of occasions sidled up and even gently bumped our boats. I never thought about it before, but some of our kayaks look like pretty sexy female manatees. (It’s all in the body shape) It is nice to know, when you are in the water next to something that big, that it is vegetarian. It is said that sailors used to mistake manatees for mermaids. All I have to say to that, is that they must have been at sea a very, very long time.
We found a sandy beach inlet and went for a swim in the bay. The water temperatures were wonderful. I am always amazed at what a beautiful place we live in.
The highlight of the trip was hanging out with some manatees as the grazed the seagrass beds below us. We spent over 30 minutes just watching them surface around us. From what we could tell, there were at least two adults and one calf. They were very curious and on a couple of occasions sidled up and even gently bumped our boats. I never thought about it before, but some of our kayaks look like pretty sexy female manatees. (It’s all in the body shape) It is nice to know, when you are in the water next to something that big, that it is vegetarian. It is said that sailors used to mistake manatees for mermaids. All I have to say to that, is that they must have been at sea a very, very long time.
