Paddle day 5 Dec 19

Again it would be just the ladies and me. We had decided to go to Stump Pass state park, part of the Lemon Bay Trail which was our first paddle. We decided to go there because the shelling would be good and the access to the Gulf was close. Also by the time we got to the inlet we should be near slack water which would make it easy to go out. Also it would be low slack so we would be returning on a flood which makes it easy to enter.

Linda was excited about getting out into the Gulf and once we reached the inlet there was no holding her back. She was driven.

Linda looking for dolphins or manatees in the Gulf

Once just outside the inlet we noticed a power boat just drifting along with everyone watching the water. We took a closer look and noticed Dolphins. Now I was excited. All of us paddled hard to get to the area where we saw a small pod, 3 or 4, swimming along. Look at the dark areas in the following picture and those are the dolphins. I just wasn't quick enough to get them when they broke the surface. The next time I will change the camera to take a series of pictures.

Dolphins off the bow. The dark areas.

We paddled and drifted out side the inlet for a long while in hopes that we would see the dolphins again. Food called so we headed back through the inlet and beached the kayaks so we could have lunch and do some shelling.

Suzette, Linda and the horizon

While the ladies went shelling I went back out to look for the dolphins. It was quite a bit of effort getting thru the inlet since the current had changed to flood. I went out to the first nun and would drift back to the can and paddle out again. I paddled in to where they were shell hunting and then headed back in the inlet to meet them and start the paddle back to the park.

The paddle back was uneventful and without much wildlife or fish jumping. It was about 1500 when we were packed up and leaving.

The day was a 10. No doubt.