Evidence Based Discussion 😱

The end of the world will come only if we do nothing about it. Ponder the concepts and controversies in environmental theory. Have evidenced based discussions shaping public policy. Bleak sensational headlines may fall apart upon reasonable consideration of scientific findings.

gtm grass maze kayak tour — #EcoMazeChallenge

Ever changing findings from the researchers, scientists, and students working on the tough and pressing issues all agree. Our civilization must act immediately and swiftly to lessen the blow from the impending climactic and biological catastrophe human activity ignited. NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserves provide a granular look at how our irreplaceable wetlands changes and evolves.

For a deep connection with the natural world, all kayakers need to visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (The GTM).

GTM Education Center Kayak Tours — Free Admission to GTM Education Center

This kayakers heaven is a partnership between the US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the State of Florida, and Department of Environmental Protection. This reserve in St. Johns and Flagler County encompasses numerous state parks, forests, and gardens. National monuments and parks, county boat ramps and recreation amenities, as well as multiple city parks and attractions. The St Johns River Water Management District, Florida Fish and wild-life commission, even the department of forestry, maintain several preserves and waterways for kayaking which are part of the research reserve… Not to leave out several universities and colleges with laboratories here using the area for field study. Its not just kayakers who have so much love for this area…

September 9, 2020March 1, 2022

Say You Saw it All

Link to search map of kayak launch locations and tours.

St. Augustine is surrounded by a National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) just begging you to come on a Eco Kayak Tour. Explore a living laboratory spanning 40 miles of iconic Florida Coastal Waterways with one of our certified kayak guides. Have an intimate experience of this significant, rare, and valuable estuary system by kayak. The GTM Research Reserve incorporates three rivers that converge on the Saint Augustine Inlet.

The Matanzas River is a thrilling kayak tour adventure since it also influenced by a natural inlet to the south. Immerse yourself in the diverse habitats Florida has to offer

Marsh maze kayak tour guana lake — Guana Lake Marsh Maze

Kayakers who explore where a river meets the sea have special kayak tour experiences.

Kayaking trails in St. Johns also attract countless species of birds, fish, mollusks, dolphins, turtles, manatees and tons of other wildlife to live and reproduce providing ecological, cultural, and economical benefits. The GTM Reserve serves as an important habitat for migrating species including calving North Atlantic right whales and serves as a critical feeding and resting location for migrating shorebirds. Manatees, wood storks, roseate spoonbills, bald eagles and peregrine falcons find refuge in the GTM. When you are looking for things to do in St. Augustine, come kayaking with our ACA Certified Guides so you can get up close and see it all by kayak.

Ideal for the most enthusiastic kayakers, St. Johns County offers an uncut gem of eco exploration. Our breathtaking shoreline is enriched with inland navigable waters, lakes, rivers, bays, estuaries, marshes, swamps, and tidal planes. It’s almost heaven for the water recreation and sporting enthusiasts, especially kayakers.

Climate Change Study — Tri-color Egrets on Bullow Creek

all in one place. Take a kayaking lesson if you want to see first hand how all the life sustaining magic happens here.A key location to study climate change and other global ecological processes. The Reserve‟s pristine condition, unique climate and biodiversity are ideal for eco tourism as well as scientific research and study.

The time has come for visitors and locals to start a love affair for exploration of this living laboratory in their kayaks. Known as an EcoTone, this one of a kind region of Florida transitions between the tropical and temperate climate zone. There are dramatic transformations from the freshwater habitats of the Guana River, erosion zones created by the intracoastal waterway, expansive oyster fields, spoil islands, tidal creeks, grass marshes, ripping tidal flows, hidden isolated beaches, even freshwater swamps. Taking multiple kayak tours of the GTM Research Reserve is a requirement to say you’ve seen it all.

September 9, 2020March 1, 2022

More than History

St. Johns County has all the elements that attract tourists to Florida. There are romantic warm breezes, sandy beaches and sunny skies. Waterfront dining, museums, art galleries, music venues, golf courses, cultural events, limitless outdoor adventure options.

Kayaking at Genung's Fish Camp — Genung’s Fish Camp. Built in 1948

There are many other great alternatives to do nearby. St. Johns isn’t just about the old fort and the Fountain of Youth set among the faux Spanish architecture built by Henry Flagler. Venture out into nature for an escape from America’s First Tourist Trap. The bigger story is the rare, pristine, one of a kind ecosystem we are surrounded by. St Augustine’s history starts in our endangered wetlands millennia, if not eons, before the European Invasion. Ancient civilizations with a complex economy thrived in this area because of this ecosystem. Their sophisticated society vanished… This is uncomfortable to discuss by those who stick to party lines.

Castillo de San Marco and St Augustine waterfront kayak tour — Kayak tours of St. Augustine Riverfront

There are so many other known archaeological sites off the beaten path around St. Augustine to explore. Sites of interest include pre-historic burial mounds and shell middens, plus ruins from Spanish colonial, British Plantations, Menorcan settlements, old Florida nostalgia, confederate relics, civil rights era, and other historically significant sites along the waterways we love to kayak. Start kayaking and hiking St. Johns County to explore historical and natural treasures undiscovered by many.

Kayaking is by far the best thing to do beside strolling down King Street and the St Augustine Waterfront. Join us when you are over the famous tourist attractions, theme parks, and other cliche vacation activities in St. Augustine. Head out on a Kayak Tour in the areas pristine ecosystem.

August 4, 2020March 1, 2022

Stuck & Stranded

Sure way of getting yourself stuck up a creek without a paddle.

Kayak Creek Tour St. Augustine — Deep Creek, Hastings, FL

Planning your swamp and creek trips without consulting the tide charts is a sure way to get your self stuck up a creek.

GeoTrippin’ gets you up our creeks with an extra paddle and a swift current on your tail. Your GeoGuide ensures enjoyment of the sights, sounds smells, sensations, and tastes of precious First Coast wetlands.

There is no sense in concerning yourself over what might happen. That’s why you are coming out with GeoTrippin’. A car is thousands of times more dangerous, no matter how intense fears of kayaking in the wild can be. You wouldn’t tempt fate by standing yourself on the side of the road. So, don’t get yourself stuck up a creek. Even then, you are more likely to get hurt on the road.

Get stuck in the mud flats of St. Johns County and it may be hours until a helicopter can be called in to rescue you. Not to mention the $5000 ticket price. On the road the ambulance can reach you quickly. Up a creek… its not so easy.

Its best to plan your creek experience properly.

Tidal creeks are one of the most notorious bodies of water for stranding people if the tide goes out before you are out. Non-savvy kayakers may find themselves up a creek in a bad way. Coordinating launch times for when the tide is just right is crucial.

Be ready for any emergency.

Your guide will even have have an extra paddle, UHF radio, emergency water, and first aide kit. Not to mention, we’ll be riding the tide up the creek and back down again. So no worries here. Easy peasy.

Leave at any other time without reading the tides and the cliche will snag you hard… It won’t matter that you do have a paddle. Going with a tour avoids fighting strong currents and getting stranded. Otherwise you could be forced to traipse through fossil making muck filled with jagged razors (no joke). A guide ensures you aren’t stuck baking in the sun while you sit six hours dehydrating without enough water. Waiting on the tide to return.

Buy tickets for tours of Moultrie, Pelicier, and Deep Creeks, plus the San Sabastian and Guana Rivers.

August 4, 2020January 25, 2023

North Guana Outpost

From here, Geotrippin’ Adventure Co. offers guided kayak tours and ACA accredited lessons. Accommodates parties of 60+ people. Launch from four different locations. Plus, their trailer will bring kayaks all over Northeast Florida if you call to plan a private tour.

Call: (904) 373-0306

Facilities: Restroom, Shower, Patio with Picnic Tables, Bait and Fishing Shop, cold beverages, popsicles, boat charters, kayak rentals and paddleboard sales.

North Guana Outpost (NGO) offers an exclusive private launch on Mickler Rd at A1A in Ponte Vedra Beach. There is no other place with access to the fresh water marshes at the most northern part of the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTMNERR).

NGO has a high end retail store to get you geared up in style for the beach, fishing, stand up paddle boarding, or just your next adventure.

SUP, Kayak, Beach Gear, Fishing Package, and Bike Rentals

With direct access to the Guana Preserve, NGO is your destination location for wildlife viewing, fishing, and exploring with ease.

August 4, 2020December 1, 2020

Trout Creek Fish Camp

From here, Geotrippin’ Adventure Co. offers guided kayak tours and ACA accredited lessons.

EcoTours

Kayak Lessons

GeoTrippin’ Partners with Sea Serpent Tours at the Trout Creek Fish Camp. Operated by Michael Blount, a veteran of the United States Navy.

Facilities: Boat Dock, marina, boat ramp, convenience store with restrooms, Airboat Tours, Rentals: Kayaks, Hydro Bikes, Paddle Boards, pontoon boats.

Count on Trout Creek to be calm and wind free. Trees rustling over head, means only only cool shade breezes below. Lazily paddle up the tidal creek stretching into the Deep Creek Preserve… Or, a big ‘ole swamp if you will. Sea Serpant Tours welcomes you here.

Rentals On-site:
Kayak, SUP, and Pontoon Rentals in addition to AirBoat Tours!
Price of rental included with all kayak tours.

Book online now!

October 7, 2019March 1, 2022

Up a Creek…

WARNING – No cliche to see here folks! Careless kayakers are prone to strand themselves Up a Creek for hours.

Tide Rules

Tides on the day and time you are available dictates which creek will be best. If a specific creek is your aim, total flexibility in time or day is necessary.

best tide for kayaing — Tides Dictate Launch Times

Deep Creek

Wild and remote! Fresh water creek and swamp. Rural St. John’s county. Near Hastings, FL at the intersection of 206 and 207.

Paddling under the Florida Scenic Trail, Deep Creek is going to take us farther away form civilization than any other tour. This winding tree covered swamp creek is both a pleasure and exciting.

Moultrie Creek

Good for two different tours. Up or Down Creek. Marsh or Matanzas Side.

Florida Seminoles lost claim to land in Florida after Chief Osceola was captured in this area. The 4th US Infantry Division brought the Seminole Wars to an end in 1837 right here.

A fine choice.

Journey up creek under US1. Wind through oyster reefs into grass mazes followed by forrest. Ride the tide along cliffs of sand. Created when Moultrie Creek cut a valley through ancient sand dunes.

A fine choice.

Turn down creek to round oyster flats into the Matanzas River. Explore along Shore Drive Grass Mazes. Cross the Intracoastal Boat Channel to get into wide estuary tidal creeks that coil into Anastasia Island.

Pelicier Creek

The mightiest of all tidal creeks in St. Johns County. Use up your Six Pack of Tickets here. It would take 16-20 hours of brisk paddling to cover the full Pellicier aquatic preserve. There are dozens of great launches for this area. Float plan depends on weather, tide, and group preference. We typically launch from two locations:

Lower Pellicier Creek

Middle Pellicier Creek

Upper Pellicier

Go Swamp Hopping six miles to the west past US 1. Pellicier Creek turns into dense alligator infested freshwater swamp. Physically fit individuals can make it out and back. Click here to book a full day tour for your group if interested in swamp hopping your kayak.

San Sabastian River

Downtown St. Augustine.

Sites include The St. Augustine Distillery, San Sebastian Winery, Hurricane Patty’s. Spend time navigating estuary grass mazes. Get a long view south on the Matanzas river of The Bridge of Lions and the historic St. Augustine waterfront.

Guana River

Did you say GRASS MAZE? Located near the little known site of Ponce De Leon’s first footsteps in the New World. There is a fascinating history. This tour explores dense estuary grass beds while discussing the sociological influence humans have on themselves and the ecology of America’s First Coast.

GTM’s Guana Dam and Museum:

$3.00 entry fee gets access to parking, trails, museum, and 3 additional secluded beach access points to the north. Safely enjoy this protected area that large boats can not access.

October 7, 2019February 1, 2022

We’re Duned

No Giant Worms on this Dune. But there are adorable endangered chubby cheeked Anastasia Island Beach Mice. It’s not erosion that threatens this one-of-kind species.

Discover one of St Augustine’s many barrier islands and river spoils. Spend time in a private paradise with this tour. See the most powerful forces threatening our wetlands up close.

Get Tickets

Yadda...

St Augustine Dune Tour — Anastasia Island Dunes

“…Yada Yada. So land is washing away before our eyes. No biggie. The sea is reclaiming the shore! What’s to do?”

Go kayaking and have a picnic on a disappearing beach of course!

Choose from two secluded beach escapes:

Rattle Snake Island

Get a close up look at restoration efforts to restore Crescent Beach Waterfront Homes.

Kayak tour secluded beach picnic — Will this beach do? Not at high tide.

Ponder strategies to control nature’s power. Ride through a man-maintained tributary connecting Matanzas Bay to the Pellicier Aquatic Preserve. Spend time playing on the sandbars and beaches in this out of sight waterway.

Francis Point

Take in the sights and each other’s company as we paddle to strand ourselves on an isolated beach.

Great Blue Heron St Augustine Inlet tour — Tidal pool, Anastasia Island

We admit, adventure isn’t alllll about kayaking. It is also pleasant to get out and stretch our legs. Spend time hiking through sand dunes. Climb rocks, swim, splash in tidal pools, relax on the beach, comb for treasure, and whatever else your fancy delights on a magical shore. No really! Its magical. In 1964, miles of dune mysteriously appeared.

Get up close with issues of storm predictions, shoreline erosion, resource preservation, shoreline restoration, changing climate, rising sea levels, pollution, extinction, over population… then rejoice with the many ways we are all working together to turn things around.

What to bring: all the yadda plus + Beach blanket, towel, small cooler with refreshments and treats, extra water, dark tanning oil, something to read, a bag to collect sea glass, sharks teeth, and shells.

Guide brings: the rest of the yadda plus + Beach Umbrellas, fishing gear, body boards, fresh fruit, interesting beverages, and something crunchy or chewy to snack on.

What to wear: All that plus + activity appropriate attire for swimming, hiking on trails which may have thorns, sun bathing, climbing granite boulders, chasing Fairies and Anastasia Beach Mice.

October 7, 2019June 28, 2024

Swamp Thing

The shaded freshwater kayak launch sites on our menu of GeoTrips. Get this, they are still tidal, affected by the mouth of the St. Johns River at Mayport in Jacksonville, FL.

Fresh Water Tours

Cow Dock in Florida Swamp Tour — Cow Dock, Trout River

Launch your guided kayak tour from one of two fresh water rivers inland.

Both are tributaries of the St. Johns River.

Both excellent choices for an epic shaded Florida Swamp Adventure.

Both 20 minutes from Downtown St. Augustine.

Deep Creek

Wild and remote! Fresh water creek and swamp. Rural St. John’s county. Near Hastings, FL at the intersection of 206 and 207.

Paddling under the Florida Scenic Trail, Deep Creek is going to take us farther away form civilization than any other tour. This winding tree covered swamp creek is both a pleasure and exciting.

Trout River

Count on Trout River to be calm and wind free. Wider and almost seeming to be manicured it so pretty.
Trees rustling over head, means only cool shade breezes below even in the summer. Lazily paddle up the barely brackish tidal creek stretching into the Deep Creek Preserve… Or, a big ‘ole swamp if you will.

October 7, 2019July 21, 2021

Oyster Roast

A One-of-kind Kayak Party that Comes with a WARNING!!

oysters picked in the wild.

Special Thanks

Take take home up to 120 lbs of oysters per kayak. To collect oysters yourself, Florida Residents and Visitors need to acquire a Florida Saltwatrer Fishing License .

Genung's Fish Camp sunset — Sunset from Genung’s Back Yard

Harvest oysters and hangout on deserted islands. St. Johns County is one of the few places in Florida where the water is more than clean enough to harvest oysters. Start off at a legendary Kayak Launch. From Genung’s Fish Camp get directly into the Matanzas River Oyster Fields under the SR 206 bridge in Crescent Beach.

Pluck plump oysters from the pristine waters of the Matanzas River. Encounter an ecosystem with a critical role in human survival and health of our environment. Learn about the role Oysters play in combating rising sea levels, overcome erosion, and built the foundation of diets for eons of explorers and settlers in the Ancient Land of Flowers, Florida.

Oyster harvesting is only allowed by law November – May.

Fishing license is required if you wish to collect live Oysters. Everyone with proof of a valid Florida Saltwater Fishing License may collect upto two 60lb bushels per day. Florida Residents and Visitors will have to purchase Florida Fishing and Hunting Licenses from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission before arriving for the Oyster Picking Adventure.

Explore a world that is only there a few hours a day, then vanishes for the rest. Glide over oyster mounds that just an hour before were islands of living crystallized calcium pods encapsulating the salty buttery fresh flavor of Matanzas Oysters… Maybe even a pearl! Oh, they clean fish poop and pollution out of the water too! But hey… eat away.

Only Oysters 3 inches or longer. Be sure to return all oyster shells from where they came to prevent Oyster Reef Collapse.

Get a taste for restoring the Oysters Habitat

See how the Oysters’ Biosphere is rebounding after a long history of habitat destruction by human activity.

Oyster restoration is a good reason to get your hands dirty. Or, just let the guide get dirty bringing you a first hand experience with these unassuming and underestimated heroes… Not many places remain where it is safe and delicious to eat oysters. Matanzas Oysters fetch a premium being a delicacy for their clean texture and limited supplies.

Consumption of raw or under cooked shellfish can lead to serious injury or death. GeoTrippin’ does not provide harvesting, shucking, or roasting services. They only provide the education and a means to the end for those who wish to partake.

Available October – May. For water quality safety, we may reschedule if trip falls withing 72 hours after large rains.

WARNING ABOUT CONSUMING RAW OYSTERS FROM THE MATANZAS RIVER. EATING OYSTERS, NOT JUST RAW, MAY CAUSE SEVERE ILLNESS AND EVEN DEATH IN PERSONS WHO HAVE LIVER DISEASE (FOR EXAMPLE ALCOHOLIC CIRRHOSIS), CANCER OR OTHER CHRONIC ILLNESSES THAT WEAKEN THE IMMUNE SYSTEM.

If you are unsure if you are at risk, please consult your physician before purchasing your tickets. If you eat raw oysters and become ill, you should seek immediate medical attention.