January 29, 2013. Kayaking With Dolphins

This afternoon we biked a couple of miles to the kayak rental place here in the park. It was a hot afternoon with a warm breeze, perfect for kayaking. We put our lifejackets on, got in the kayaks and shoved off. A small chart of the area was provided as was a bit of information about what we should see out in the bay. We met a couple of paddlers returning from a morning paddle and they very excitedly told us about watching dolphins feeding on mullet in a small bay just "out there". 

It didn't take us long to get "out there" as the wind was at our backs and we were anxious to see dolphins. We were rewarded for our efforts when we saw two dolphins diving near us. We followed them for quite some time and got very close to them. I was close enough that one swam under my kayak. It was quite a thrill. Many pictures were taken and many "wows" we're exclaimed.

Our paddle back was more relaxed as we skirted the shoreline watching various birds and looking for signs of animal life in the mangroves. We did see lots more mullet jumping as well as several herons, one of them blue. A very large osprey nest housed three or four birds. It looked to me like one of the youngsters was getting a flying lesson.

We arrived back at our campsite in time to enjoy some "hammock time" before dinner. We finished off the day with a walk around the park.