Paddle Through a New View of Paradise

“Key West changes every evening when that fiery, orange orb slips effortlessly beneath the horizon… Spiny lobsters depart their rocky hiding spots and traverse the ocean floor in search of food; octopus make their shadowy presence known only under the cover of night; and docile sting rays relax in the darkened shallows.

These nocturnal nuances go largely unnoticed by the topside world — but they’re revealed in stunning clarity during a guided nighttime kayak or paddle board tour that departs every evening from Ibis Bay Paddle Sports.

For the nighttime tours, the paddle boards and glass-bottom kayaks are equipped with waterproof, LED lighting that illuminate the water and introduce people to a whole different world, said Pawel (pronounced pa-vel) Pluciennik, who owns Ibis Bay Paddle Sports, the water sports concession business at Ibis Bay Resort.

“We cater to all skill levels, and offer instruction for newcomers,” said Pluciennik, “and we stay in water that’s only knee- or waist-deep in areas with no boat traffic. The things you see at night are so different. We see octopus at night; lobsters are out walking around; stingrays hang out on the bottom, and nurse sharks and bonnet head sharks are active. A lot of locals have actually been taking our nighttime tours because they’ve never done anything like it before.”

 

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