Get Up and Go Kayaking - Florida Keys

Get Up and Go Kayaking runs clear-bottom kayak tours out of Sugarloaf Marina at mile marker 17 on Sugarloaf Key, about 25 minutes from Key West and 45 minutes from Marathon. The pitch is simple and it delivers: the hull of the boat is transparent, so the shallow water of the Lower Keys backcountry turns into something you look down into rather than across. Over two hours a guide takes you through clear channels and a mangrove tunnel inside Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, and what passes underneath tends to include small sharks, stingrays, sea turtles, starfish, tropical fish and coral.

Groups are capped at ten paddlers, which is small enough that the guide is actually within earshot when you want to ask what you are looking at. The kayaks are tandems, so you paddle with a partner rather than solo, and each boat takes up to 425 pounds total with a limit of 250 pounds per seat. Everything comes with the tour: the clear kayak with seats and paddles, life jackets and whistles, dry bags for your phone and keys, and the guide. Life jackets are provided and worn.

No paddling experience is needed, and the mangrove backcountry here is protected water rather than open ocean, which is a large part of why this works for people who have never held a paddle. Families are welcome. One adult needs to come along for each child under 17, and the minimum age to paddle is six. Bring sun protection, water, and shoes you do not mind getting wet.