Another great thing we did while at Silver Palms RV Resort is go on 2 airboat rides in southern Florida. As the activities director for Silver Palms, I organized an airboat ride, and Sherry and I went along. There was a total of 14 of us that went on the trip.

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The airboat ride with Eaglebay Airboat Rides was a great experience. Our captain Denise was a great and very informative guide. The airboat ride took us in the canals that surround Lake Okeechobee and up Limpkin Creek.

The first thing we did was put on earmuffs. The airboat motors are very loud. We ran for a while in the Okeechobee Canals which by itself is a great adventure.

Local History

Captain Denise ran the airboat up a short creek and we soon came to a stop. She shared much local history with us. The captain shared how the people on the east and gulf coasts were upset that because of the canal and other drainage systems, too much freshwater runoff was draining into and polluting the Gulf Of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. She pointed out preventive measures that had taken place to prevent this problem.

Invasive Species

She also told us about invasive species of both flora and fauna that have invaded the area. Some of it was planted or released by the government, by pet owners, or well-intentioned conservationists. In most cases the invasive species either do not pan out as what is intended or become so overpopulated they become a problem.

ALLIGATORS

Of course, the main thing most people want to see on airboat rides in southern Florida is alligators. Unfortunately, we did not see any large alligators on this trip, but we did see several small ones. Captain Denise told us that the momma alligator would keep up to 4-year classes of babies with her. Both of the pictures in the photo gallery below are babies from the same mother. They were all in the same area, but the larger ones were a little more spread out. The biggest one that you see is 4 year old and approximately 3′ to 4′, with the males being the largest.

The one-hour trip with Eaglebay Airboats was a lot of fun and informative. However, in order to talk to us, Captain Denise had to stop and shut off the boat so we could take off the earmuffs to hear her. Several times she would stop and say did you see something that we had passed. Many of us didn’t see whatever it was she was referring to.

A Second Airboat Ride

A few weeks after our 1st airboat ride in southern Florida, our son came to visit and wanted to go on an Airboat Rides in Southern Florida. This time we went with Okeechobee Airboat Rides. While it was nearly twice as expensive, this trip was in our opinion much better. Our trip was just under 2 hours and started out in the Kissimmee River. We covered many different environments out in Lake Okeechobee. The main thing that made this trip better was the speaker headphones that allowed us to communicate with the captain as we moved about in the airboat. He was able to say see the alligator or bunny rabbit (more on this later) on the right or the bird flying in front of us as we traveled.

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Captain Kenny also gave a great history lesson of Lake Okeechobee and the area. He also shared much knowledge about the flora and fauna of the area. We also saw dozens of species of birds identified by the captain and 25 to 30 very large alligators.

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Furry Critters

Captain Kenny pulled up to a large island at one point and shut down the airboat. He took the time to share some more knowledge with us and asked if we had any questions. As he was answering questions I saw 2 raccoons running through the woods. At that time the captain got into a compartment at the front of the boat and got out a small plastic bucket. He opened it and grabbed a few handfuls of dog food and threw it out onto the island. I was amazed at how skinny they were compared to the coons we have in Illinois. Especially since he was obviously feeding them. Sometimes he fed them several times a day. The day we went he had a trip before us and one after us, so they were fed at least 3 times that day.

At another point, we started circling a small island. And by small, I mean really small. It was about the size of a picnic table. There was only one bush and a few small clumps of grass. Captain Kenny told us to look for a furry little critter. We were almost 3/4 of the way around the island before we finally found it. It was a cottontail rabbit. The captain didn’t know how the rabbit got on the island. He said it had been there for at least a couple of years. I just can’t believe that it could survive on that island for more than an hour with all the large alligators in the area.

Unfortunately for some reason, I don’t have any photos of either of the furry critters. I don’t know if I was so distracted that I forgot to take pix or if my phone ate them again. I don’t remember taking pictures of the rabbit, but I’m pretty sure I had taken some of the raccoons.

Two Great Activities

Overall both of the airboat rides were great. I would highly recommend them both. If you have a large family to pay for and are on a budget, Captain Denise and Eaglebay Airboats is a great trip. On the other hand, if there is just one or two of you, or money is no object, you might want to go with Captain Kenny on Okeechobee Airboat Rides. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

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