Snorkeling the Weeki Wachee

       Weeki Wachee is beautiful. Today we took the dinghy up the river to snorkel. It is a weekday so we beat the crowds by being early. The river is narrow, the sky obscured by trees that meet from opposite banks as we motor upriver. The water became increasingly clear as we neared the headspring. The stream is an obstacle course of logs, sandbars, and overhanging trees and vines. I had to wheel one way then the other to keep us clear as we struggled upriver. The water was so clear it seems that we would run aground when the water was actually 4 feet deep.

       Once we were about a mile from the head spring we put on our snorkeling gear and followed the current down the river. I got the duty of towing the boat down as we snorkeled. Schools of large mullet scattered as we came by. Foot-long Snook, Sheephead, Sergeant Majors, and Largemouth Bass hung about the roots of trees in the rocks and shadows. Visibility was about 40 feet and the water a cool 75 degrees.

       A mile after we started I tired of retrieving the boat from branches, logs, and vines which kept snatching the boat from my grasp. Tamara was far ahead of me. I signaled her to stop and we took a break by a couple of deep spots in the river. The sun was shining so we enjoyed the scenery for about an hour as we intermittantly snorkeled the deep holes in the river bottom.
       This part of Florida is covered by springs and spring fed rivers such as Weeki Wachee. I grew up in Southern California where crystal clear streams only existed in the high mountains. There crystal clear equaled high altitude, sharp rocks, and ice-cold water. Here the water is a comfortable 75 degrees, we are a few feet above sea level, and the bottom is soft white sand.
       Once we got back into the boat we soon came upon some Manatees. A medium sized male and a mother and her small pup. The male lounged in the deep and seemed to be asleep. Tamara jumped in and ended up petting the baby as the mother held back a few feet. The baby was friendly and playful. It came forward spraying water on her and lifting its head above the water. The mother soon herded her baby back up a mucky bayou and we chose not to follow.

       So many people come to Florida to see the magic of Disney. The true magic is in the unique natural world here which you will not find anywhere else.
       While sitting at anchor we ordered a pizza from a nearby town. I met the delivery girl at at the Bayport Park dock. Within an hour of our call I had a delicious pizza back on the boat as we watched movies. That is what I like about Bayport, you are isolated in the middle of nowhere yet you are actually not far from a population center and  for us we only 20 miles from our home.

Manatee head in hiding 8 feet of water. Yeah, I need help as a photographer.

Tamara jumps into the water to harasss a poor family of Manatees.

       NOTE: Generator died this AM as we were getting into the dinghy. Upon our return I found that one fuel tank was basically dry. I filled with 35 gallons of fuel from our 5 gallon jugs. I also changed the generator oil. Generator is working fine. I guess running 32 miles and 48 hours or so of generator time is 35 gallons of burn? Anyway, fuel total is 275 gallons.