I decided to take advantage of Florida’s unseasonably cold morning this past Saturday to paddle out to see the Manatees in Homosassa Springs. Armed in my short-body wet suit, aqua socks, quick drying spandex bicycle leggings and long-sleeve shirt, I felt ready to take on this mini-adventure. I arrived at the Homosassa Boat ramp at 10:30 AM and the temperature was already starting to rise. I never venture out in my Kayak without being fully prepared for a full day. Today I needed to be extra careful as the cold weather could cause hypothermia while I was over two miles out from the boat ramp. I had my kayak all geared-up with compass,first aid kit, food and water, dry-bag with dry shirt and fleece jacket, camera gear, snorkel gear, and my trustee one-pound anchor that keeps my boat in place when I am off exploring.
I pushed off and within 500 feet I was paddling around Monkey Island shooting photos. The Rhesus Monkeys were begging for attention and food. Monkey Island is a child’s dream playground! It has a lighthouse, tree house, and several ropes from which to swing and climb. Maintained by the Homosassa River Resort, Monkey Island has become an icon of the Homosassa River and is always a treat to pass by while boating or paddling. I paused for several moments and admired their graceful movements as they climbed and hung from the trees with such ease. Be careful not to get too close for those seemingly docile monkeys have been known to be aggressive and to climb into peoples boats!

Darn Fleas!

I continue on down the river amused by the mullet playfully jumping high above the waters surface and landing with a big splash! A bald eagle circles overhead searching for food … an osprey tears at his recent catch while perched on a nearby branch. At 1.2 miles I am at the Halls River junction. I have never ventured down that remote offshoot….maybe I will have time today.  As I near the spring, there is less signs of civilization and more nature and wildlife. I see a manatee with her calf swim under my kayak as I hone in on a blooming climbing aster bush along the shore. I see the spring-head with a tour boat and several snorkelers in the water.
Not in any hurry, I paddle into a scenic cove to look for more manatee. I was greeted by a family of Wood ducks, Great Blue Heron, and a Belted Kingfisher cackling and flying about. After exploring this secluded bay, I head out to the spring-head to find a place to anchor.  I diligently scout for a secure place to drop anchor, and I am soon in the 74 degree water happily swimming about. I make may way over to the where the manatees are resting
on the floor of the river. This sunlight streaming through the waters make a warm cozy niche in which to float. I am in awe of their size and power as I float directly over these gentle giants. I sense something in the water beside me. I turn and look only to see a young manatee swimming along beside me. He followed me around for almost twenty minutes. I would turn and look as he would approach me then gracefully turn to expose his belly. Normally I would scratch
his belly, but the rules have changed due to abuse of privilege, and touching the manatees is no longer allowed. He turns to show me his belly again, this just tugs at my heart strings. “Sorry I know you like your belly scratched…..but I can’t”   Homosassa Springs has volunteers on Manatee Patrol in a kayak ensuring these precious mammals are not harassed. I keep swimming…then I feel a nudge. “Oh no he didn’t?” My heart jumped! This manatee just nudged my arm with his snout to get my attention. In my experience, this behavior of actively making physical contact with a human is certainly out of character. Out of fear of upsetting this massive water mammal, I reach really low and sneak him a scratch alongside his chin up to his fin. He is happy and starts spinning. “Sorry, Sweetie..that is all I can do!” I actively swim away and he does not follow. I have been in the water for over an hour and it is time to get back. I thanked the Volunteer for keeping an eye on these precious mammals and let her know that one followed me around for quite a while. She replied in her sweet southern drawl ” I saw him follow you and do what Manatees do!”  as she gave off a friendly smile. Then she thanked me for doing everything right. I eagarly returned the smile. I started on my journey back with only my windbreaker to keep warm, but the wind is picking up as the late afternoon sun turns down the heat. The 2.3 mile paddle back to the boat ramp went quickly as I relived the incredible encounters I had today. I was shivering but couldn not have asked for a better day!
Click here to view more photos of the Homosassa River Paddle on Flickr.

Click here to find out fun facts and characteristics of our endangered Manatee!

Liquid Image Underwater Digital Camera Snorkel Mask

This Video Snorkel/swim Mask is the first of its kind! The first 5 MP Underwater camera that functions as a snorkel/dive mask for up to 15 feet.
The mask has the lens built in the center of the eyebrows with the shutter button on the right. The genius of wearing the camera and always having it in “ready” position for photos/filming makes me almost wants to wear the mask at sporting events. It also frees up the divers hands for swimming.
The tempered glass lenses have cross hairs to aid in lining up the lens field of view.  Aiming takes a little practice due the the cross hairs being located lower than the lens itself.  After a few photos, I was able to line up horizontally like a pro!
We recently used the Video Swim Mask on a family adventure – Swimming with Manatees in Crystal River, Florida. This little adventure requires that you are out in the water during twilight hours (7:00 AM). We were impressed with the video camera’s responsiveness to adjust to the changing light condition as I lifted my head in and out of the water. The still photos are as comparable in quality to any 5 MP camera on the market today. Below is a still photo taken with this camera.

Kings Bay, Crytal River, FL

I have better luck with the video when I was under water.  The constant motion of swimming and the water moving made it difficult to capture a clear crisp photo.  The video was excellent and responded to the lower light conditions than the camera.

**Click here for Youtube Liquid Image Video Footage

(**Youtube processing can pixilate images and may not be representative of the quality of the video)

We were also impressed with the mask.  The mask is well made with a silicone skirt for a comfortable and waterproof seal.  I did not have any water leaks after removing several times.   It also has a watertight storage space on the side to hide extra batteries, etc.

It comes with internal memory capable of holding up to 30 high resolution photos.  There is also an SD card that allows up to 2 GB more that will hold 3000+ photos or 100 minutes of video.

The Liquid Image Video Swim mask will provide good video/photos at a Great price!

Camera footage included!
I would also like to add that the unit runs on “AAA” batteries. In order to record the full 56 minutes uninterrupted, it is worth the extra money to purchase the lithium batteries.

About the Author: Barbara is the owner of  an online store Riverbanks  Outdoor Store for two years and has frequently engaged in outdoor sports for years including camping, mountain biking, whitewater rating, kayaking, snorkeling, and hiking.    Barbara also hosts a blog Riverbanks Adventure Forum that focuses on product reviews and adventure vacations.

This video camera packs a punch weighing only 2.5 ounces and measuring under 3 inches can record up to 100 minutes of continuous Video/Audio while out on your adventure.  Perfect for the helmet without the extra weight.

Video

The Epic has two buttons to scroll through for an easy set up and recording.  The default setting is for AVI video clips is already in Ytube format.  This camera will support up to 4 GB SD card storage.  Video can be recorded in either High (VGA) or Lo (QVGA) resolution with up to 2x zoom as an option.  Just press “S” for start to begin recording and press “S” again for Stop.  The video clip and the record time will be shown on the display.  Deleting unwanted video to free up storage is also a snap from the display.

Audio

There is a built in microphone for continuous audio recording.

Action/Still Photos

Still/Action Photos can be recorded in three different resolution settings, High (5 Mega pixels), Medium & Low (3 Mega Pixels).  The camera also has a “Burst” mode setting for taking continuous photos that can be set from 1 – 9 consecutive shots.  Just press the “M” button and capure the action as it unfolds!

2X Zoom

The standard mode is a 47 degree Wide Angle (1X) and can be easily toggled to Zoom mode (2X) from both the camera and video modes.

Downloading

Downloading with a the USB cable is as easy as “drag & drop”.  The computer will see the camera as a USB Mass storage device. The SD card can also be inserted into a card reader for the same results. This unit is also compatible with Mac units:  iPhoto will launch once Epic is plugged into the USB port.

Waterproof Case

While the Epic is splash resistant, the water proof casing allows for use in water sports or for recording in wet weather conditions.  The housing is waterproof down to 20 feet! Simply insert the camera into the housing and attached the housing to the same helmet mount.

Mounting

Below are three of the several mounting devices.

  VisorClip on Mount

 Helmet Mount w/ Housing      Shock Proof Mount

Mount options include:

• Strap Mount for Helmets, wrist, or anything else you can think of…
• Clip Mount for brim of cap, vehicle visor, etc  w/ adjustable angle feature
• Handle Bar mount for Mountain Bike, Motocross, or ATV Cross Bar
• Shock Resistant Saddles used with strap absorbs vibration
• Tree Screw Mount screws into any tree branch or trunk

For sample video footage go to  www.Youtube.com/watch?v=Mtp0jJgWzJg

For more information or to get one now  go to http://www.riverbanksoutdoorstore.com/servlet/the-149/Epic-Stealth-Action-Sport/Detail

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About the Author: Barbara is the owner of  an online store Riverbanks  Outdoor Store for two years and has frequently engaged in outdoor sports for years including camping, mountain biking, whitewater rating, kayaking, snorkeling, and hiking.    Barbara also hosts a blog Riverbanks Adventure Forum that focuses on product reviews and adventure vacations.