05 Feb Full Moon Kayaking: Jupiter, FL
I love kayaking and thoroughly enjoy a full moon over the ocean, so it only makes sense that I’ve been dying to go on a full moon kayak tour since I heard about it. There are many places in Florida that offer full moon kayaking tours; we chose to book with Jupiter Outdoor Center, and I’m glad we did. The tour takes place along the Loxahatchee Aquatic Preserve and departs right across from the Jupiter lighthouse; the guides couldn’t have been nicer or more accommodating.
Micah and I have learned in the past that, although we can work well together at times, we don’t work well together when we both want control of a situation, or in this case, the direction we want the kayak to go. We were going to go out in singles, but at the last minute we decided to go in a double kayak so Micah would have an easier time taking photographs. We managed to get though the evening with only a few minor spats.
The Full Moon Paddle Tour is approximately 2 hours long and starts at 5 p.m. in the winter, 7 p.m. in the summer–it felt strange to leave for a full moon tour so early in the evening when the sun was still shining, but it worked out perfectly in the end. We started out heading west in the river and paddled until we made it to two little islands. After paddling through to the far side of the islands, we explored the shallow waters for a bit while the sun was setting. Our guides were on stand up paddle boards, or SUP for short (another option for the tour if you don’t want to kayak), and they offered a short lesson to anyone who wanted to give it a try. I was excited because I’ve wanted to try SUP for quite a while. It was a little chilly so I was not wearing a swimsuit and definitely not dressed for accidentally falling in the water, but since we were in such calm, shallow water at the time, I decided I was up for the challenge. They gave great instruction, and after only a few slight wobbles, I was able to paddle myself around quite easily. It was a great time and is definitely something I want to do more of in the near future.
After a spin on the paddle boards, taking some photos in our kayaks and watching the great sunset, we turned around and started to head back east. On our way back, we got to stare at the beautiful full moon as the sky started to darken. We lucked out and had a perfectly clear evening to gaze at the skies, and it was great to watch both the sunset and the full moon in one tour. The Full Moon Paddle Tour at Jupiter Outdoor Center is $40 per person, and I would definitely recommend it. All of their other tours sound great as well, but I have my eye on the Yoga Paddle Boarding Tour first–it sounds like so much fun!
