Florida offers beautiful beaches for swimming, but the Everglades are not as safe due to the presence of alligators and snakes in the brackish waters. Kayaking in the Everglades is generally safe as long as proper precautions are taken. To ensure a safe and enjoyable kayaking experience, it is essential to be aware of your surroundings and avoid taking alligators or snakes.
There are outfitted trips and self-guided trips available to help plan your kayaking tour of the Everglades. From 10,000 Islands to Turner River, there is an endless route for canoe and kayak trips. The parks website emphasizes the importance of wearing a life jacket at all times and staying away from alligators. Paddling a kayak is not inherently safe, as three friends have drowned kayaking.
Everglades National Park offers many paddling opportunities to explore the natural beauty of the area through freshwater marsh, lakes, bays, and thin water corridors. Kayaking can be uncomfortable, but it depends on the weather conditions. If the weather is too humid, go for a drive and look in to the water from a boardwalk. Exploring the Everglades requires getting out on the water, whether on a kayak or canoe.
In summary, kayaking in the Everglades is generally safe as long as proper precautions are taken. Wearing a life jacket, staying away from alligators, and being aware of your surroundings are essential safety measures.
📹 Gator Safety Tips for Kayaks and Canoes
A few tips for being safe while paddling with gators!
📹 Alligator Charging Kayak 7 12 20
For licensing or usage, contact [email protected]) While paddling the upper Waccamaw in N.C. I received a warm welcome …
Thanks for a great article, Chris. I’m in central Florida, and I regularly go fishing in nearby creeks & rivers where there’s a gator around every bend. They will normally try to avoid contact with humans in the wild unless they’ve lost their fear of man, which is what happens when someone feeds ’em. I’ve been around ’em long enough to read their behavior, and I agree with everything you said.
I was fishing on the Alapaha River and got between a big gator and the bank. The river got real narrow and swift in this particular spot. And, I didn’t notice the gator until I was on top of him. And, he didn’t notice me until I was on top of him. We both scared the heck out of one another. Pucker factor high! I bow hunt and use a canoe sometimes. Be VERY careful hauling a deer out by canoe.
such amazing tips. so chill too. thanks for the teachings. super educational since i am kayaking tomorrow. i learned like 12 different things from you here in 5 minutes lmao. i feel like these are super crucial tips i didn’t know about either. i hope more people would see this article though so there’d be less of a chance of them getting hurt. I’ve been kayaking before and seen gators. but didn’t watch this article so i was so scared of them. mostly after perusal articles of them just wrecking kayakers because they didn’t know to stay away from them, yet alone start swimming with them
I am from Florida and I have had lots of experieinces with gators….you just need to know the behavior of the gators and you will be fine….the most dangerous gator is the one that has been fed by people….people feed them and then they endanger people and the alligator as well..btw…..the Okefenokee is on my bucket list, funny I am only a couple hours drive from it..I need to get out to the Okie!
I know it’s a old article but I appreciate your article! I’ve grown up on the coast line of NC. My friend and I just got kayaks and honestly I’ve never thought about gators although we have them and I’ve seen a lot. I’ve always thought about sharks 😂. What you say makes 100 %. It’s common sense to the beast! My friend is scared to death every time he hears something splash. Hopefully your article will calm him down some but not let his guard down. Tight lines buddy!! 👍
great article, I was raised in the north east. moved to mcrae gerogia, well they have gators here. i just got my first kayak and well a little worried about the gators, up north we slept with bear and big cats felt normal, but these fellas with all these teeth are going to take some getting use to lol. stay safe and happy fishing.
Thanks for this article, my wife and I just moved to Florida from the Midwest and we love to go out kayaking but we were uncertain about going out at all with gators around here, I have been tempted to try to get out on Lake Tarpon near me (we live in Holiday, just Northwest of Tampa about 30 minutes or so) but have no idea what I need to know about them so I can avoid having a nasty run in while also enjoying myself and fishing, I appreciate the info!
Gators can’t digest food unless they’re 70 degrees (21 C), so they get less aggressive when it’s cool. I grew up on the St. Johns River with gators literally in my backyard, so they don’t worry me. But, I kayak with inflatables, so I can bicycle to kayaking spots. From April or May to September, I stick to local lakes with houses and regular use. When temps drop, October to March or April, I’ll kayak in places such as DeBary Creek at Gemini Springs Park.
Your an intelligent man sir I wanna be like you just mentally I go kayak fishing in the Louisiana swamps below lake Ponchatrain safety is always first I have done some of the donts you have taught me not to do appreciate it I just need me a kayak I’m trying to straighten my life out can’t afford but one day I’m trying but thanks this article will help many friends and relatives
Yes. PLEASE DO NOT FEED ALLIGATORS. The last time I was at Okeefenokee kayaking I was charged by a juvenile right at the launch area which I’m pretty sure people had been feeding, as that isn’t normal behavior, and he just wanted food from me. I wasn’t worried that he could flip me but that juvenile will grow up to be a massive beast who wants food and CAN flip me. I do not want to die from a gator attack so again, PLEASE DO NOT FEED ALLIGATORS..
Very good common sense advice. I hunt in the swamps kayak and fish the swamps and I’ve noticed every spot where alligator and human contact is a regular thing; the gator has been reprogrammed to consider humans a food sourse and they have lost their feat and in many cases have become acclimated to come out of the water or lundge for food. People dump dead bait at the place they fish or camped. That’s bad business.
Thank you for these tips. We’ve recently moved to central Florida from Canada and enjoy paddle boarding…I’ve taken my board out a few times near wekiva springs. This past couple of weeks I’ve seen so many large gators that I’m a little more hesitant. I keep my distance but there are some that quite casually cross in front. I question if a paddle board is just too dangerous.
Man thanks bro. I live in Louisiana. My best guaranteed bass limit spot has a ton of gators. I don’t know if people feed them but judging by the way they start coming towards me, I assume they do. So do you recommend just staying away from my spot? Thanks. Btw. Almost every great spot I know I find myself on the go too much from spot to spot. My kayak might look like a dog?
I agree with every tip you said. Recently i was fishing with my wife in a 10’ twin troller, in Louisiana, while a small gator was harassing my cork. I’m trolling slow so he is able to keep up. I’m approaching a choke point when a large 12-14’ gator launches off shore right behind the point. I paused and thought he went the other way so I continued. In the middle of the point, he came up alongside us doing a barrel roll, possibly hitting the boat. I’ve never seen one do that before and have been wondering, was he defending the little one behind us? Just being territorial? Was he attacking? All i know was he was longer than the boat.
I fish on in a small 10ft inflatable pontoon boat and there are a lot of gators in the lakes I fish, some of course, are longer than my boat with massive heads. I’ve never had a problem with any but some of the older guys that fish these lakes make me nervous because they don’t think it’s safe for me to fish in such a small inflatable boat especially around mating season when the big males become more active and aggressive. So I don’t know if I should keep fishing these lakes or if I should stop. Like I said I’ve never had a problem with any acting aggressive or approaching me but I don’t know if that’s usually the case for people in small watercraft.
Question – I was yakin’ the other day in Galveston Island State Park. I turned around and saw a large gator probably 25 or 30 meters from me. Dunno how big it was as soon as my brain caught up with my eyes it submerged. I wonder if it was potentially stalking me, and if you think it is safe to go out there by myself?
You are saying exactly what I’ve been saying for ever. I’m 66 and grew up in that swamp hunting and fishing. Believe it or not. In many places the gators were nearly hunted to extinction so; a lot of places where you see hundreds of gators; there were one or two, very few or none. So; I’m glad to see the gator population back and healthy however; people are constantly feeding them and there are places that gators see or hear a human and all they hear is the dinner bell. I really get annoyed and unload when I see morons feeding gators. We use to count the gators and swim in the same pool but when one move in the water; that was the end of the canoe fight or jumping in. No one I knew ever was bitten; we played nature’s dare you game and always won.