Lately, we can’t get enough paddleboarding! We usually spend at least one full weekend day on our boards. Last weekend, we decided to hit the intracoastal waters off John D. MacArthur Beach State Park. I love to paddle this area, because there is no boat access, which means you are definitely more likely to observe wildlife – and it makes the adventure so much more peaceful too.
As usual we saw a large variety of Florida birds and fish which is always amazing – we have the best birds here! Hello, Pelicans!
We decided to paddle along the shore of a small cove that we came across and right as we turned in, we were greeted by a small manatee. We immediately stopped paddling and quietly hung out. She was very curious and wanted to check us out too – she would swim around us, poke her snout out, then swim under our boards. We just sat in quiet amazement until she was finished and went back to her day. They are really amazing creatures! Sorry for the photo quality, I took all of the photos on my iPhone – I really need a GoPro instead. (It’s on my holiday wish list.)
Sidenote: If you live in Florida or are visiting Florida, please do not bother, pester, follow, touch, feed or ride the manatees – these are beautiful, kind, senstive, inquisitive creatures that should be enjoyed from a far, please give them their space. They are also very senstivie to loud noises, so please be quiet as to not spook or upset them. (Thank you for listening to my public service announcement.) 🙂
Of course, we had to stop at a little island beach we can across to cool off! Overall, it was an amazing day – this is why we live in Florida. 
What kind of adventure have you been on lately?
[…] weekend, we hit one of our favorite spots to paddleboard – John D. MacArthur Beach State Park. We love it because it is fairly shallow – meaning no boats, is an excellent place to spot […]