The Weeki Wachee is hardly remote and at times can be confused for an urban paddle. On a week day in summer, you can expect to see hundreds of people on this river. I would never try this trip on any weekend, because there would be no room to kayak, and there would also be motor boats cruising up and down the river as well. From this description, you would think I dislike paddling this river or that there is nothing to see. Wrong. Timing is everything while paddling Florida, and today I had the entire river to myself for the first one and a half hours. Actually, the Weeki Wachee River is one of my favorite paddling destinations because it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to on this planet. Weeki Wachee is a Seminole Indian name meaning land of spring waters and winding waters. From Google maps, it looks like a thin ribbon of aqua blue cutting through a green landscape. It is a beautiful, wild looking river that exists right next to civilization, much like Shingle creek does in Kissimmee. Weeki Wachee's genesis lies just a stone's throw from US 19 at the self named theme park that boasts mermaids. The theme park, which opened in 1947, boasts mermaids that star in an underwater show for visitors that gaze through a huge observation glass from a submerged theater at the mermaids frolicking in the crystal clear waters of Weeki Wachee springs. The springs are first magnitude springs that push an estimated 112 million gallons of water a day! It is an impressive spring that has an underwater theater built around it. Reportedly, its vent lies about 185 feet deep. The force of the spring discharge can be felt easily from 6 miles away at Rogers Park, where I put in at. I paddled up and then down the river today and like always, it was a wild experience.
I arrived at Rogers Park at around 8 am. I paid the 5 dollar parking fee via meter and changed into my getting wet clothes. This park is located on Shoal Line Road which is accessed a few miles West of 19 off Cortez or SR 50. It is a popular park located right on the river that boasts a beach, beach volleyball, and redneck watching. The party usually starts in early afternoon at Rogers, so get there early. It has a kayak and a boat launch. When you land you will be sharing the landing with several people exiting the water, as this is the end of several trips via outfitters along this river. One note of caution: skip the restrooms if you can. The conditions were horrific! I slip off the launch at 8:27 am, and start the arduous, 6 mile paddle against the current. I rate this river as the second strongest current to paddle against, second only to the Little Manatee River, which I would never try. After 5 minutes, I stop at Hospital Hole. This is a 140 foot deep sink hole that derives its name from a legend that wounded fish wander here from the Gulf of Mexico to enjoy the healing benefits of the spring water. Years ago, when I visited this river as a young teenager, the visibilty was excellent and you could easily see about 100 feet down. It looked like a dark spot in the aqua colored river because of the depth. As I mentioned, the Gulf is close, just a couple of miles down river, and there are freshwater and saltwater fish that swim the river such as snook, jack crevalle, largemouth bass, bream, gar, and schools of mullet.
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| beautiful blue waters of Hospital Hole |
I continue on and soon pass the nearby Christian camp where I camped along this river as a teen. It had a lot more fish and wildlife 35 years ago: thick waving eel grass, swarms of fish, lots of blue crabs. Now the bottom here is barren sand. The lower area is populated and is that way for about one and a half miles until you hit a nice forested section. Here, the river becomes well canopied and the banks are thick with trees. The river is very clear and shallow in spots with much deeper aqua green colored channels that are forged by the current. The eddies around each bend are a challenge for novice paddlers.
I exit the forested section into a small open section with a few homes on the North bank. The South bank is wildlife preserve, and I see a new sign that reads,"water moccasin breeding area: Beware of snakes". It is placed in front of a weeded area. Water moccasins are aquatic pit vipers, armed with extremely venemous fangs. If you are bitten, you need medical attention FAST. Its venom is a hemotoxin and has the ability to kill a full grown human, although rare. Although I have seen snakes on rivers before, I couldn't be sure what kind they were as I didn't venture too close. So, I could say I had never seen a water moccasin or cottonmouth, in the wild.
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Foreshadowing
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That was before today. A mile or so upriver, a squirming, swimming reptile appeared in front of me and drifted rapidly towards my kayak. I noticed it immediately: a 2-3 foot brownish red colored body, big head with a black bar over its eyes, its whole, thick body was floating above the water. My first water moccasin sighting! Face to face with death! It passed to about 3 feet of my kayak and then slithered to a weeded river bank and disappeared in the brush. Very cool encounter, and I would have never seen this had it not been for my early departure and the fact that I had the whole river to myself.
Then.....more wildlife drifted towards me- Humans! One canoe, then two. And then an armada of bright colored kayaks blocking the whole river. Around the river bends, they would lose control in the eddies and head for the banks and into each other and....ME! This is a little fun, as I get to hone my paddling skills and see the horrified looks on their faces when they see a kayaker headed towards them UP river! "You're going the wrong way!" I was told a dozen times. These were are paddlers from "Paddling Adventures", a company that launches from the state park at Weeki Wachee Springs. I myself, have launched my paddleboards from there when I have come down here with my daughters or anyone else who didn't want to paddle against the current. The last mile and half up river belongs to the state park, so there are no motor boats allowed. Except, of course for the big "jungle cruise" boats that take the tourists down river. This fact is evident by the lush,waving eel grass on the sandy bottom. I see more birds here as well: an osprey swoops the river from his perch high on a dead cypress tree, a cormorant sits perfecly still on a log as I pass 2 feet from it, an anhinga diving underwater. I go as far as I can up river to the floats that are blocking the river. On the other side lies "Buccaneer Bay", a water park adjacent to the "mermaid park". I pass by the dock loading up tourists on the big boat going down river. It is beauiful up here and I can only imagine the great sight of the main spring vent underneath my kayak.
I polish off one Gatorade and start on another. I sit sideways and dip my feet in the cool spring water. Then, I start my drift down river. I stop and pull over under a huge cypress tree in a nice wooded canopied section of the river and go for a swim/snorkel. I spy a raccoon in a tree just ahead and film it crossing the river on tree limbs. I snack on a power bar, when a passing kayaker asks me, "Is that your friend?" and motions behind me. I turn around and find a raccoon in my kayak! He is going straight for my backpack where the goods are. I back up from him and maneuver to grab the front of the kayak and shake it and he scampers off into the woods without a fight. I did not feel like fending off a rabid raccoon today. I continue on, sans raccoon, and alternate between flying down river and bends past and in between the armada of novice kayakers and just slowly drifting and steering. The heat is sweltering now and I stop at a beach and cool off again, as well as downing a PBJ sandwich.
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| a relaxing beach |
Further down river, I spot something that catches my attention fast: a huge three foot high dorsal fin headed right towards me. It is a home made kayak fashioned after a large camoflage shark. The owner lives on Mud River, a tributary of the Weeki Wachee. I make it back to stop and take a couple of more dips and snorkelling adventures, including one at Hospital Hole. After 5 hours, I end my trip at Rogers Park. The Weeki Wachee is a river that has it all: wildlife, beautiful scenery, and even an ice cream salesman on a boat near Rogers Park! Although I love the solitude of more remote paddles, this river is a gem that has it high on my list of favorites. It is perhaps the most beautiful of all the rivers in Florida even with the population that enjoys it. Just watch out for snakes and raccoons.
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| Shark! |
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