We booked the Boca Chita/Stiltsville tour and loved every minute of it. Check in was easy and the…read moredirections provided for parking were great. Our crew was Duncan and Captain Stefan. Stiltsville was super interesting and I enjoyed learning more about the key holders. I find it fascinating that you can still potentially rent these places out. We were able to get off the boat at Boca Chita, where we climbed the lighthouse. From there, we saw multiple sharks in the water. We also had plenty of time to explore the key and take pictures. For National Park stamp collectors, the boat staff have stamps on the vessel if you don't have time to go to the National Park visitor center. I would absolutely do a tour through the institute again.

Quite pricey snorkeling experience $115 ea for 3.5 hours boat tour, we booked the 1.30pm to 5pm…read moretour. Upon check-in, we realized that they put in 18 people in a small boat, the whole boat was pretty packed. The captain and helper were both friendly and helpful, they have pool noodles to help those who in need. we stopped at two sites, the water was cold near the mangrove and not many fish. The second site was better with reefs and warmer water. Even with wetsuits the majority us were shivering the whole 45 minutes journey back to the land. Our captain spotted dolphins on our way back, there were 4-5 of them in clear waters and swam near to our boat. if you have two or more people, i think charter a boat is better.

Dominick's extensive knowledge of the area ensures a fun fishing experience while on his charter…read more No matter if you're a beginner or an expert, you're guaranteed to have an awesome time during your trip with Off The Hook fishing charters. I had a lot of fun and I look forward to my next fishing trip with Dominick. I highly recommend choosing Off The Hook to charter your next fishing excursion!

Garl and his tour were the absolute highlight of our trip to Florida. My partner and I can't stop…read morethinking about our experience--we're already figuring out when we can come back and hit the Everglades with Garl again! Garl is so incredibly knowledgable and affable, as one could expect after almost 30 years of experience. It was an honor to spend a day with him in his "office," as he puts it. We did a full day tour, hiking and kayaking. We were awed by the flora and fauna we saw. The Everglades are far more beautiful and enchanting than I could have dreamed. Truth be told, I was very concerned about hiking through the Everglades... all for naught! I, very new to Florida's wilderness, convinced myself that leeches, bugs, and snakes would be a concern. If you're like me, please rest assured that nothing will bother you on Garl's watch, especially not leeches :) Do yourself a favor and book a tour with Garl! I can guarantee you will NOT regret it. We can't wait until the next time we get to visit the Everglades and see Garl again. Until next time, Garl!

Garl's Coastal Kayaking is the best Everglades guide you will ever find. I am writing to give…read morepraise to Garl Harrold, founder and chief guide who will show you around the Park. If you have the time and want to have the ultimate experience, join Garl for one of his all-day kayak and slogging adventures in the park. He will take you to places you would have never imagined, show you things you didn't know existed, and will thoroughly charm even the most experienced and knowledgable visitors. Garl has been guiding in the Everglades for more than 20 years. His trips include salt water and fresh water kayaking suitable for beginners or experts. He will also take you slogging or wading along pathways you never dreamed were there. He will show you animals you would never have found on your own. Garl knows his birds. He knows his plants. He knows the geology. He knows the routes. And he knows what you'd like to see. He is intimately knowledgable about where critters are and knows how to find them. He does the whole job with grace, with wit, and with an expert's practiced eye. Before you think that this review is exaggerated or the words of someone who didn't know any better... let me tell you who I am. I am PhD ecologist who spent 25 years as a naturalist, researcher, and science administrator in six national parks nationwide. I've led hundreds of nature walks myself, evaluated the performance of dozens of Park Service seasonals, and spent years coordinating research of agency and university scientists. I was administrator of an NPS program providing education services to the eight northwest national park areas. As a Park naturalist and scientist I have always felt that I knew "all about" the parks where I've worked. But I have never known any park as well as Garl knows the Everglades. Believe me, Garl is the best you will find. Be aware, I have no conflict of interest nor prior knowledge of Garl or his organization. I had never heard of them before finding them online through Trip Advisor. After my trip all I could say was, "Wow!"

Captain Assad is precious and we loved him and our time on his boat! It's not ultra-luxurious, with…read morechampagne and fluffy pillows, but very affordable (nearly half the price for double the time of his competitors) and a wonderful experience. Hope to be back soon!

What a find!, Captain Assad and his crew exceeded my expectations. I hoped for good weather on a…read morenice sailboat. What my family and I got was great weather on a beautifully maintained 45' sailboat crewed by competent, experienced and thoroughly engaging mates full of exhilarating conversation and anecdotes. There was also plenty of time for quiet contemplation and to quietly take in the sunshine on the water and the wide open blue skies. In addition to a perfect afternoon and I also come away with new friends. I will definitely go back and send all my friends.

This is a small and pleasant park in Coral Gables on the canal. You can launch a kayak here and…read moretravel to the Biltmore! A pleasant little spot to be at one with nature. The park is named after Ruth. Here is some information regarding this historical woman. https://gablesinsider.com/opinion-once-upon-a-time-in-coral-gables-there-lived-a-significant-figure-in-womens-history/

This is a small but quaint park. I spans about 1.25 acres. There was no parking lot. I just pulled…read morein and made my own spot. In addition to ducks, I saw some decent sized iguanas there. The park has signs posted warning of animals attacking. There is a nice decks that overlooks the water. There are a few benches and picnic tables around the park. The grass is screaming for some maintenance..."cut me, cut me..." I do not know how good (or legal) it is, but someone was fishing while I was there. It is a peaceful spot minus the busy intersection that it sits off of. This is a simple, what you see is what you get park. It has so much potential. With a little investment and time it could be so much better.

Completed the US Sailing Powerboating class. Bottom line up front...if all your interested in is…read morecertification this may be the place to knock it out. Our weekend was split between a group of four students and a group of two semi-private students. The price I was quoted for the semi private group was $1479..the group rate was $679. Did not see a much of difference between groups...perhaps semi-privates received an hour or so per person more helm time. The class room instruction was identical...the last day we were all in class together due to weather. The last day of water activities were cancelled due to weather. Some but not all of tasks were shoehorned in the first day. A make up day was alluded to during the first day of the course when it appeared the weather was going south for the second day. When the second day of on the water was cancelled I asked for a rescheduled on the water day at a mutually convenient time. I was told that the class would be emailed...but that never happened. PROS Very knowledgeable instructors. Bob is a former Commodore of Coconut Grove Sailing Club. His knowledge of Biscayne Bay was imparted during the navigation and on the water exercises as an added benefit above and beyond the syllabus. The way he demonstrated to tie the knots sunk in unlike over fifty years of previous knot instruction from boy scouts to military to sailing did not. Melissa was a very engaging instructor who carried the main burden of class room instruction. She kept the class interesting, while having to cover a large amount of material. The boat used was a 22 foot cat hull. It was very well maintained and operated flawlessly for the four hours we were aboard. CONS Classroom was at the coconut grove bookstore. They had a youth group the first day practicing musical instruments. The second day we were in the outside courtyard during a cold snap...kind of uncomfortable. In top of that a fire alarm went off for at least ten minutes. For the $5600 gross for the students that weekend you would think they could hire a conference room. Being shorted half of the on the water training was disappointing. Totally understand the weather call...but a make up day should have been scheduled to fulfill the syllabus requirements. I had requested the book to read ahead. They cover a lot of information verbally but there is not enough time to digest the information during the course...especially for new boaters. The exam sheet that I received had the answers circled in pencil and then erased where you could just barely see them. IDK if everyone had same experience, but looking at test results I would assume they were all the same.

There is an old sailor by the name of Josh here. Ask for him by name. He is skilled beyond words…read moreand will teach you everything you need to know about sailing, the winds, the oceans and all of life's unanswerable questions. Men from far off lands have sought out his wisdom, they have all returned enlightened.

Underwater national park? Yessir, Biscayne National Park is over 90% water and therefore pretty…read moremuch only accessible by boat! Which is fantastic because Biscayne is famous for its reefs and mangrove forests. Unfortch for us, the boats that charter snorkel tours were out of commission for the week we came. But because of that, they let us take the kayak out for as long as we wanted. The kayak rental ($35) is self guided, as long as you don't paddle out to sea. You can go really really far and explore a lot of the inlets which is super cool. We saw plenty of birds and several schools of fish. I didn't get a chance to see the manatees though, which was a bit of a bummer. Communication with the park was good, as they were responsive and helpful when we called and very apologetic when they told us about the snorkeling. The park is best seen with a guide on the snorkeling boat, so if I'm ever back I really want to try it again and re-review. Oh - and the bathroom was super clean. :O)

If you google Biscayne National Park, it's actually a huge area. It's not just a specific place…read morebut it covers land, keys, and more. Elliot Key, Sand Key, Adams Key are included in the Biscayne National Park. There is a Visitor Center, in which they have recreated the environments found in the Park - super interesting. This Visitor Center is located in the second floor of the park, at the end of 328th Street this is the Park Headquarters. It is such a calm area that you get connected with nature. You are no longer in the city. Take advantage of this huge park, maybe for camping or just walking around.

The instruction provided by Matthew is top notch. I learned more in one lesson with Mathew than I…read moredid taking three lessons at my prior stable. The horses at South Miami Riding Club are great too, very gentle and well trained. The fee schedule is a bit more than other locations, but well worth it.

I had the best time ! Matt, the owner, is such an amazing teacher. He is super knowledgeable and…read morehis teaching style was fantastic. I am a beginner and he was able to teach me, and at the end of our lesson, I felt like I was riding like a pro. The farm itself is beautiful and so are the horses. You can tell the horses are happy and well taken care of. I highly recommend to others.