When I got to the launch site, I filled my camel pack and rigged a trolling line. Not that I am an angler, but you don't catch any thing if you don't have a line in the water. I was sure that it would be just for looks given that I was headed out 2 hours ahead of low tide in the heat of the day. There was a boat in the south ramp getting pulled out, so I picked a rougher spot between the mangrooves. It is nice to have a plastic kayak sometimes so you don't have to worry about protecting an investment. This Ocean Kayak Scupper Pro is 9 years old and is the best money I have ever spent on a hobby. I know the picture looks like I brought a lot, but it is only my seat with the PFD and Camel pack behind it.

Gliding over the clear water, stained to a weak tea color by the mangrooves and nearby rivers, I decided to play with my Pentax W20 waterproof camera. I took a self portrait, or what I like to think of as a fish eye view of a kayaker.

I'm glad I kept the camera out because a few minutes later I floated across about 5 small sting rays in a sandy open area amidst the grass flats. They were spooked every time I dipped my paddle, so I drifted past then made a wide loop back to windward. The Northwest wind was blowing about 10mph, but I was in the lee of Green Key, so the breeze was rippling the surface. I lined up approximately centered on where I had seen the rays and deployed my drift sock off my stern to slow my drift over the area. The drift sock combined with my rudder allowed me to swing slowly back and forth as I drifted down over the spot several times, attempting to get pictures and video. I got only one shot from above the water that was ok. I stuck the camera under water and shot blindly as well, and got to decent images from that.

I drifted and slowly paddled over the area for a while, then paddled out to the Gulf Harbors Channel to stretch my paddling muscles a bit. Then I headded back across the estuary trying to beat the lowest tide. It was really shallow as I finished the last few hundred yards. There are sounds that I love to hear on the water. On the sailboat it is the whump of a filling spinaker, or the gurgle of the wake just as I shut of the diesel. On the kayak, it is the whoosh of the scuppers pulling when I get in a good rythym and the brush of the hull over the sea grass as I skim through water no other craft can reach. The last several hundred yards were paddled to a soundtrack of the breeze, birds and that brushing sound.

In all it was a short trip, about 2 hours on the water. I didn't travel very far either, but it was immensely enjoyable and relaxing.
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Here is a link to a Google Album to see hi res images, the rays might be hard to see at the smaller resolution.

Green Key

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