PADDLING WITH TURTLES AND MANATEES
Take time to savour the slow, mellow pace of Jupiter on Florida’s Atlantic coast
I’ve seen plenty of turtles in my day. But this is the first time I’ve raced one.
I’m on a stand up paddleboard tour of the Jupiter Harbour area, just south of the brilliant blue Loxahatchee River. We’ve just turned the corner around a lowlying island when I spot a turtle below me in the water, perhaps one metre to my left.
I’m excited to see one in its natural environment, so I move my paddle to the right side of my board and try to angle myself a little closer. I’ve always thought of turtles as slow, lumbering critters but this guy can move. Perhaps thinking I’m sporting a spear gun, this guy (or girl), literally zooms ahead of me at what might be called a break-shell speed.
I had no idea turtles could move that fast. I paddle a bit and get within maybe two metres, but again the turtle shifts into high gear and zips away.
Clearly defeated, I console myself with a quiet paddle past thick mangroves on a warm January day on the Atlantic coast of Florida.
I see pure, snowy-white egrets resting in the shade of the mangroves, carefully eyeing the mullets that occasionally leap from the shallow waters of the harbour.
I’m on a tour of the harbour with Blue Line Surf and Paddle Co. Our guide, Alex Cotleur, is an expert who teaches folks in my group to keep their knees slightly bent and their feet wide apart on the massive boards so we can keep our balance.
She warns us that passing boats can create good-sized wakes and advises us to keep our boards steady by dipping our paddles deep into the water.
I hadn’t thought of doing that as a way of keeping stable but it makes perfect sense. Later, Alex tells me she learned that trick from Canadian Olympic canoeing star Larry Cain, an avid standup boarder who sometimes gives lessons in Florida.
Later, on our tour, we pass by areas where folks have planted new mangroves to help the harbour regenerate.
Others have piled up shells on a beach to help keep a small island from eroding.
On our way back to our starting point behind the colourful Guanabana’s café, I spot my first-ever manatee and let out a “whoop” that startles a group of nearby pelicans.
The area around Jupiter is a relaxed, mellow stretch of Florida with very little traffic or big-city attitude. The Juno Beach pier in Jupiter is a fine place to watch the surfers shoot past on blue-green waves, or just soak up the sun. Parking is free across the street.
I also take the time to check out the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. It’s a cool spot designed in 1853 that towers high above the Loxahatchee River, with a series of winding stairs (105, plus 30 to reach the base of the lighthouse), that take you to the top. Once outside on the circular walkway you’ll get fantastic views of the river and the Florida coastline.