I've taken more than a dozen people kayaking on the Rainbow River to give them a good, easy taste of Florida kayaking."There are no gators because the water is so clear," I have always told them.
Well, it aint so! Today we were out on the river not far from Rainbow Springs State Park and another kayaker told us there was a big gator in a cove so we went in. Sure enough, we saw this 8-foot thing that I was convinced was a plastic replica because it was not moving and it was on such a clear river. My friend Bernie took this photo of me with it.
Well, as we paddled back, our other friends wanted to see it so we went back into the cove. This time, I saw the gator open its mouth and move its head! WOW! I would never have paddled so close had I known it was alive and real. Another kayaker told us she had also seen some turtles swimming in the river neaby and that there was a smaller gator with them. So, it seems, we have a growing family of gators in the Rainbow River.
For a great video of a kayak adventure with a "Ditsy Brit" on the Rainbow River click >>>
http://youtu.be/qY1q1DVFv7A
