[digital029art]

On a winter's day, a tropical adventure for you ..



CLICK on image or link
Across Florida Bay: Flamingo to Long Key Roundtrip Adventure

---

Last edited by digital029art; 01-02-2013 at 01:51 PM. Reason: oops wrong title

[.a.t.]

What a wonderfully satisfying experience! Thanks for sharing that.

By the way, I've never kayaked, so I'm curious how you're able to keep your gear dry?

[digital029art]

Thanks all_thumbs, glad you enjoyed it!

Keeping your stuff dry in kayaks is easy! Most sea kayaks have sealed compartments, front & rear. This is a also major safety feature too, if you flip, only the center cockpit takes on water (that you then pump out)!
Sometimes these "hatches" as they are called will leak a little, so anything you really want to keep dry (like electronics) you always put in a dry bag (roll top closure) or a pelican type box. I use the dry bags, never had a problem even if soaked in sea water, backpack inside - bone dry!

[.a.t.]

That's really interesting. Thank you.

[RoxnDox]

Thanks all_thumbs, glad you enjoyed it!

Keeping your stuff dry in kayaks is easy! Most sea kayaks have sealed compartments, front & rear. This is a also major safety feature too, if you flip, only the center cockpit takes on water (that you then pump out)!
Sometimes these "hatches" as they are called will leak a little, so anything you really want to keep dry (like electronics) you always put in a dry bag (roll top closure) or a pelican type box. I use the dry bags, never had a problem even if soaked in sea water, backpack inside - bone dry!

I have a sit-on-top kayak, and when I venture out I take the camera along tucked into its dive housing... Granted, it's a compact (Oly XZ-1) not my DSLR but it gets the job done and saves me a lot of worry doing it htat way...

And, gotta add that you have some fandamntastic pics and I am really jealous of your trip... I just poke around shore up here in Puget Sound in the opposite corner!

Jim

[digital029art]

Thanks Jim. Up there in Puget Sound, you're in a kayaking mecca of your own!!
With the right drybag(s), you can keep your gear dry even in a SOT (Sit-On-Top), esp if you can stuff some of it inside the boat. This goes for tripods too. You can also "double bag" it .. can't hurt!

When actually on the water, it's a challenge to keep expensive gear dry and salt-free in use, so I always have a small bladder of tap water to rinse my hands off from the salt before handling the cameras. Realistically, a waterproof cam (or a housed cam) will take 90% of these pics on the water - bust out your good gear when you make a landing .. wherever that may be!

Here's a lil bit more on that island, if you're interested: Little Rabbit Key – a camping jewel in Central Florida Bay | kayakfari ( kayak .. far .. i )

[RoxnDox]

Thanks Jim. Up there in Puget Sound, you're in a kayaking mecca of your own!!
With the right drybag(s), you can keep your gear dry even in a SOT (Sit-On-Top), esp if you can stuff some of it inside the boat. This goes for tripods too. You can also "double bag" it .. can't hurt!

When actually on the water, it's a challenge to keep expensive gear dry and salt-free in use, so I always have a small bladder of tap water to rinse my hands off from the salt before handling the cameras. Realistically, a waterproof cam (or a housed cam) will take 90% of these pics on the water - bust out your good gear when you make a landing .. wherever that may be!

Here's a lil bit more on that island, if you're interested: Little Rabbit Key – a camping jewel in Central Florida Bay | kayakfari ( kayak .. far .. i )

It really does look like a fun place to explore... I knew the waters were shallow down there but I didn't think it was *that* shallow! A whole 'nother set of challenges I'm sure.

So far my paddling has just been short trips around our local harbor and short ventures out into the main Sound. No need to break out any of my canoe-trip drybags yet :-) I stash a few items in the access hatch in front of my seat, and I keep the camera/housing clipped to a bungee. No worries about it that way, and at worst I just wipe the outer lens port off if it gets too many droplets splashed on it.

Not to hijack your thread into something else, but here's one from a couple weeks ago that I like (not quite as nice, weather-wise though)

Jim

[digital029art]

Yeah Florida Bay is like another world .. a place outside the world of people! Looking at that ferry, well you are at the gateway to the San Juan Islands - and that's a place that needs to be explored Jim!

Some years ago I was lucky to spend about half a year in the NW (Portland mostly - but I traveled around) and missed all that grey weather .. all I had was lots of sun!! What an outdoors paradise!!

-Flex

[RoxnDox]

Yeah Florida Bay is like another world .. a place outside the world of people! Looking at that ferry, well you are at the gateway to the San Juan Islands - and that's a place that needs to be explored Jim!

Some years ago I was lucky to spend about half a year in the NW (Portland mostly - but I traveled around) and missed all that grey weather .. all I had was lots of sun!! What an outdoors paradise!!

-Flex

Yep, the San Juans would be great fun - have to get my brother out for some camping and boating... Definitely a place to watch the tides (mostly for the currents ripping around the islands), but then I have to watch those here at home too - my little harbor is right at the north end of the Tacoma Narrows and we get that water a-flyin'... 6+ knots on a big exchange). Summers are perfect here, it's only they winter that is long and grey... I'd like to have a Seattle summer and a Nebraska winter!

Jim