Awesome Clear Kayaking Adventure: Get Up and Go Kayaking
Life is all about perspective and a lot of the time you might hear people say “lookup” or “don’t look down”, but we found a travel experience where you: Must. Look. Down.
DISCLOSURE: Hinton the Trail was hosted by Get Up And Go Kayaking in exchange for our review. We maintained creative freedom and were not influenced in any way to recommend Get Up And Go Kayaking.
Imagine paddling in one of the most beautiful waterways in the country and being able to see what’s below you! Imagine peering down through crystal clear water while you glide over a shipwreck, statues, manatees, fish, and over 30 natural springs. Now imagine you’re not seeing that over the side of a standard kayak or canoe, or having to precariously balance on a paddleboard to get the best view. Imagine that you’re looking straight down, directly below where you’re sitting, and seeing all of this in a whole new way. Sound strange or impossible? We thought so until we took a clear kayak tour on the historic Silver Springs with Get Up And Go Kayaking, the first clear kayaking company in America.
CLEAR KAYAKS
When we planned our trip to Silver Springs, Florida we were looking for something unique to do. We originally looked at the glass bottom boat tours which have been around since the 1870s. But we wanted something a little more unique and which gave us more freedom to see the locations we wanted to…and get some exercise while doing it. That’s when Chris found Get Up And Go Kayaking and their clear kayaks. We enjoy kayaking and getting out on a clear boat was something we’d never done before.
Starting in 2016, Get Up And Go Kayaking was the first clear kayak company in America. Their boats are made of polycarbonate resin (the stuff used to make fighter jet canopies) and are completely see-through. Each boat can hold up to 425-lbs so you can go on your own or with a partner. This is the perfect setup when you have kids or people who haven’t kayaked before. Get Up And Go Kayaking trips are great for any skill level.
BOOKING WITH GET UP AND GO KAYAKING
Booking your Get Up And Go Kayaking trip is wicked easy and can be done online. The Silver Springs tour is a 1.5-2 hour guided tour that’s currently offered three times per day. Once booked you’ll receive a confirmation email and instructions for completing an online waiver and where to meet up on the day of your trip. They also include recommendations for what to bring and what not to bring. It’s a very simple process and all of the information you need is in the email.
On the day of your trip, the team will meet you at Silver Springs State Park. It’s pretty easy to find them because of the clear kayaks lined up on the grass. After a quick introduction to your guide, a safety brief, equipment check, and an overview of what you’ll be doing, it’s time to hit the water!
SILVER SPRINGS
Silver Springs has been a tourist destination since just after the Civil War. The beautiful clear waters and abundant wildlife made this a popular destination, and finding a way to let tourists see into the water from a boat was started here. The very first glass-bottom boat was built here in 1878! Over a century of tourism, Hollywood filming, amusement parks, and local development took a toll on the Silver River and in 2013 the Florida State Park Service took over and has worked tirelessly to restore and preserve the environmental resources.
You can’t swim, snorkel, or scuba at Silver Springs. If you want to peer into the depths you have to do it from a boat and there is no better, or more personal, way of doing it than from a clear kayak.
WHAT TO EXPECT
We came into the tour expecting to see some fish, birds, beautiful water, and to learn about the area. We did not expect the possibility of monkeys (there are around 80 rhesus monkeys in the area but we missed them). Nor did we expect manatees, alligators, statues, shipwrecks, and a long history of Hollywood filming.
Our guide, Lauren, did an amazing job of pointing out the wildlife, explaining the history of the area, and making sure everyone had a great experience. And her tip on how to get photos and video with your phone through the bottom of the boat is genius. Just open your phone up to camera mode and lay it down on the bottom of the boat. It won’t shut off because it will be focusing on what’s below you. Just hit the button whenever you want a photo! So simple!!
Our tour ended up being close to 2-hours long and we never felt rushed. Our guide made sure everyone had the opportunity to see everything and took the time to show us how to approach manatees so we didn’t stress them out or put them in danger. When there were other boaters nearby she had us keep going so we didn’t overwhelm these gentle creatures.
THE CLEAR KAYAK EXPERIENCE
The boat launch area is at what looks like the end of a jungle stream. The Get Up And Go Kayaking guide launches each boat and then they take you down the stream to the larger waterway. This is where the real beauty of the area starts to reveal itself. You’re surrounded by beautiful trees and a lush forest while you paddle along beautiful, clear water. The color of the water appears different in every area.
You’ll paddle over many grassy areas and the water becomes a darker color. This grass, along with the temperature of the water, is what draws the manatees in during the winter. Warm water and an abundant food source are their thing and if you go during the right time of year you’ll see plenty of these gentle giants. We saw many adults and a few babies as well. Just make sure you don’t hover over them as they come up for air about every 5 minutes. Also, watch your paddles!
When you kayak over the springs the water becomes very clear and has a turquoise color. It’s here that the clear kayaks from Get Up And Go Kayaking give you the perfect view of what’s below. The ability to see the springs and fish below you is truly amazing. The one thing we didn’t see below us, thankfully, was an alligator. That’s something you just don’t want to know about!!
The first point of interest that we spotted was a 300 plus-year-old dugout canoe. Again, the clear kayak and the clear water made seeing it very simple, you just need to know where to look. Our guide also took us to another sunken ship. This one was a prop from the 1959 Jerry Lewis movie “Don’t Give Up The Ship”. It’s a small version of a Navy Destroyer. They filmed the movie and then sunk the ship and now it’s one of the very unique spots on this beautiful waterway.
That last underwater oddity we saw with Get Up And Go Kayaking is located near the launch area for the glass bottom boats. There are three statues leftover from the 1960’s TV series, “I Spy” and also used in the James Bond film “Moonraker”. The statues were abandoned there and now provide a very cool point of interest near the largest of the springs. Being in a clear kayak makes finding them pretty easy, you just have to be quick about it because of the boats coming and going from their dock.
When you’re on a clear kayak from Get Up And Go Kayaking it’s hard to not keep looking down below you. The clear water, fish, manatees, and springs below you continue to draw your eyes down, but it’s also important to look around. The Spanish moss hanging off the trees, abundant plant life, the birds chirping, and the possibility of seeing monkeys also compete for your senses. So make sure you take a little time to look around as you paddle through Silver Springs.
NO BETTER WAY TO EXPERIENCE SILVER SPRINGS
The entire experience with Get Up And Go Kayaking was fantastic and we highly recommend them. There are many ways to explore Silver Springs but none of them offer you the capability and flexibility of a clear kayak. Add that to the knowledgeable and very personable guides and it’s a trip you’ll enjoy and remember forever. If you’re not going to be near Silver Springs that’s ok. Get Up And Go Kayaking has 14 locations throughout Florida so make sure you check them out when you’re planning your adventures!
SEE THE GET UP AND GO KAYAKING EXPERIENCE!!!
