Everglades Tours Questions to Ask Before Visiting Florida Bay in the Everglades National Park

Everglades Tours

Everglades Tours Excursions

The unique ecosystem of the Everglades National Park is best explored by canoe on foot, kayak, or on one of the airboat tours. This ecosystem is made up of eight different habitats. The park is a World Heritage Site, an Outstanding Florida Water and Biosphere Reserve.

Miami Everglades Tours

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There are many species of endangered and threatened birds and animals that call the park home. There are many nature trails of hiking and paddling, as well as amazing photography opportunities here. Florida Bay is an estuary where freshwater from the Everglades mixes with the saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico. Here are some questions to ask before visiting Florida Bay.

Everglades Tours Expeditions

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   1.      How large is Florida Bay?
   

Florida Bay is an estuary that covers about 1,100 square miles between the southern tip of Florida and the Florida Keys. The bay is situated on a shallow shelf lagoon where freshwater from the Everglades mixes with the saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico. It can be found at the southernmost tip of the Florida Peninsula and encompasses over 200 mangrove islands and is surrounded by dense mangrove forests.

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   2.      What kind of flora does the Florida Bay have?
   

The islands that make up Florida Bay were formed from ancient coral and sand shoals that are covered by tropical hardwood hammocks and mangroves. There are three main species of sea grass that are found in the area, namely turtle grass, manatee grass and shoal grass. Turtle grass and manatee grass act as breeding grounds and nursery areas for several commercially viable species of lobster, shrimp, and stone crabs.

The flat skinny leaves of shoal grass are the most commonly in the Florida Bay. It grows rather quickly and is able to tolerate a diverse range of salinities. An important component of the hard-bottom communities of the southern portion of the Florida Bay is the mixed algal communities which act as a habitat for invertebrates and many species of small fish.

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   3.      How easy is it to boat through Florida Bay?
   

A boating trip in Florida Bay is vastly different from the Everglades airboat tours because you require a certain skill to boat through the shallow coast and the treacherous passes of muddy sea grass of Florida Bay. Sometimes shallow areas are not indicated with appropriate markers so you will need to ‘read the water’ well.

Some areas even have sandbars and oyster reefs for which you need some experience to maneuver around safely without damaging sensitive underwater habitats. This can be quite a challenging experience for a newbie. So if you have never been boating before, it is advisable to go on a guided boat tour in the park instead.

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   4.      What wildlife will I encounter on a boating trip in Florida Bay?
   

Florida Bay is made up of interconnected basins, grassy mud banks and mangrove islands that are the nurseries, nesting or feeding grounds for different species of marine life like the West Indian manatee, the American crocodile, the bottlenose dolphin, the loggerhead turtle, and many types of birds and fish.

When vacationing in Miami Don’t forget to try an Everglades Tours expeditions. Also Remember to take your camera to capture the panoramic views on these wondrous Miami Everglades Tours.  An Everglades Tours Expedition will expose you to some of nature’s most fantastic creatures. The natural ecosystem will fascinate you on scenic Everglades Tours excursions.

Everglades Tours Questions to Ask Before Visiting Florida Bay in the Everglades National Park