High Seas Adventure

Okay, so really the title is designed to catch your eye and get you to read the post. I have a great recommendation for you if you find yourself on the Alabama coast in the vicinity of Gulf Shores and/or Orange Beach. Whatever you plan to do, be sure to find time or make time to take the dolphin and nature cruise from Cetacean Cruises. You will definitely find it to be time well spent.

I was fortunate to cruise with Captain Bart and his lovely assistant, Jackie, on the cruise we took yesterday, October 17th. You board the 40-foot pontoon boat, Alabama Cruisin, at their dock just off Canal Road on a very small road that goes beside Doc’s Seafood Shack (a great place to eat, too). Doc’s is located at the intersection of Canal Road and SR 161. Their boat holds 24 people; but be sure to lather on the sun screen because only about half the seats are in the shade.

We pulled away from the dock right on time. This time of year they do a cruise at 1:30 pm and another at 4:30 pm. They do offer a 10:30 am cruise if there is enough demand. We had hardly gotten into the bay when Captain Bart spotted the first small group of dolphins. Jackie and Captain Bart are knowledgeable about dolphins with about 30 or so dolphins that call the bay their home. The bay on the north side of Orange Beach is actually a series of three bays.

My wife and I have taken a number of dolphin cruises from Destin to Gulf Shores over the years that we have been going to the Gulf Coast, and we found Jackie and Captain Bart well versed on dolphins providing some fascinating facts about dolphins that we had never known. One very interesting fact was an explanation of how dolphins sleep!

We cruised the bay for about an hour with many opportunities to see the dolphins both close to our boat and slightly further away. After the first hour, the second part of the adventure began as Captain Bart headed north into the swamp on the north side of the bay. Because the pontoon boat requires very little water depth, we were able to follow a narrow path through the swamp grasses well into the swamp before even our boat could go no further due to fallen trees in the water. We saw numerous wildlife including two osprey, one with a freshly caught fish in his talons, a couple of blue herons, and a white egret. Whitetail deer, alligators, and a small black bear have been spotted in this area as well though we did not see them on this trip. As the captain said, we probably would not see all the various wildlife that call the swamp their home.

The area was heavily impacted by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, and we went by an old dead barge that was rusting into oblivion that was a victim of Ivan.

After about 45 minutes in the swamp, we had to turn around and head back out of the swamp and across the bay to the dock. As we were approaching the dock, everyone on the boat noticed an osprey sitting on top of the mast of the catamaran that is used for sailing cruises. Captain Bart made note that he had never seen an osprey perched there before.

So if you have an interest in following nature on the Alabama coast, make it your highest priority to sail with Cetacean Cruises whenever you are in the area. The two hour tour is $20 per person, but if you look carefully you can find brochures that offer a 3-dollar discount for everyone in your party. You can even print the discount coupon by navigating to it on their web site before you head out for a wonderful cruise adventure.

-Brian-

PS Nope, I don’t get a kickback on people taking my advice and cruising with Cetacean Cruises. This was such a rewarding and educational experience that I just had to share it with our readers.

Category: Hodgepodge