We have come to the Keys 6 of the past 7 years and Paddleboard is the one thing we had yet to do and the only "excursion" I wanted on this relaxaction trip. We stayed in Marathon, Duck Key and Tavernier. We opted to wait and book with Paddle! the Florida Keys.

Because weather can be tricky we opted to not book ahead of time & morning of, they are not open so we took a chance & drove in for their 10am open time to see if we could get in the 10:30 am tour. It was not a problem at all! They can accommodate many if necessary so if you find yourself wishing you had booked and they are not open yet, head in!

We forgot our waterproof phone bag at home. I am SO happy I paid the $18 for another. You really do want the ability to take pics on this tour b/c you just never know what you will see.

There was one family of 5 and our party of 2. 2 of their group switched to Kayak, better for their youngest party member, so know that this is an option if you need it. The staff was so flexible.

We had a quick lesson on the best way to hold paddle and get moving so you got the most movement with minimal effort. I was the only one in our group that had ever paddleboarded before, but I only did it a few times and for short amounts of time so I was so looking forward to this trip.

Our tour guide Mike was efficient and got us in the water quickly. No on wants to stand around TALKING about getting on the water, they want to get on the water, but he made sure to tell us how to do it as well.

Off we went! We left the small canal that runs behind the store, crossed a channel, and went under a bridge and into the open water. There are white markers to keep boats out of the shallow areas of grasses so there was nice gentle water to paddle out in. We went a ways & took a turn into a mangrove area where you had to sit/kneel down to get in. At the end of our journey (1/4 mile in) we sat for a while and heard more about the area from Mike.

One thing that really stood out was that our guide made it a point to just grab bits of trash he found in the water to dispose of it properly. This is someone that just does this as a part of his being, not for show. Not everyone will do that and it shows a real care for the environment and what lives there.

We saw many fish but on the way back, there was a Manatee family! I loved that our guide let us hang out but made sure we were SUPER respectful of their space. There was the mom, the dad & the baby. Our guide said the baby was VERY new! How lucky were we to see such a thing!!

After a bit of time watching the Manatees, a very relaxing and special thing indeed, we headed back to the shop.

We asked for and were given an excellent lunch recommendation.

I think if you are considering this trip, do it!!! Remember to tip your guide. They do not have to chat and share local info and tips. They do it because they love their job & want you to have a great experience. I say this because I am always stunned when I am out on tours such as this and it does not occur to people to add a gratuity for the service provided.

All in all, best day of vacation by far!! This is very easy to get the hang of if you are new! I have the balance of a baby water buffalo and can paddleboard with ease.

Of note, the shop has sunglasses, sunscreen, waterproof phone cases and so much more. Bring water! There is a seafood place on the dock open all days except Monday if you need lunch.

Kelly was our guide for a two-hour paddle board tour through the mangroves. We had a great time, learned a lot about the environment and ecology of the area, and got a good workout in the process as well. We also had the benefit of being the only two people on our tour, so it was a much more personal experience, and we highly recommend this!

We did a kayak tour with Mike. It was awesome. He was a great guide pointing out all kinds of wildlife. We rented a double and single kayak, went with another group, one paddle boarder and one kayak. We saw sharks, barracudas, sting rays, tarpons, and more. It was a very relaxing tour. Mike couldn't have been any nicer.