ABOUT COCOA KAYAKING
Cocoa Kayaking tours are a way for family members of all ages to enjoy the ocean and its waterways comfortably and efficiently. We offer safe guided tours through the Thousand Islands in Cocoa Beach, Florida, and through the Wildlife Refuge in the Haulover Canal in Titusville, Florida!
Come relax and escape with us as you paddle in the vicinity of approximately 4,500 animal and plant species. Animals that you may see on your adventure paddle through the Thousand Islands estuary include the Indian River Lagoon bottlenose dolphins, endangered Florida manatees, and native as well as migratory birds!
The Thousand Islands also offer us an opportunity to travel through Florida’s beautiful and exotic mangrove tunnels! We paddle across Florida’s unbelievable and indescribable scenery, an experience that you simply can not get anywhere else!
Our guides are all professionally trained and come with knowledge of the waterways as well as the animal and plant species that you may come across. Relax, learn, and explore as you paddle! All our guides are trained and certified in First Aid, CPR, AED, and kayak rescue. SAFETY FIRST! Information on wilderness first aid basics: essential skills & training available on https://www.acls.net/2016/02/17/wilderness-first-aid-basics.
Beginner to advanced-level paddlers are welcome. No kayaking experience is needed! Our tours offer a safe environment and a more personal tour for a one-on-one guiding experience through the waterways. We give you instructions while on dry land before we head out into the water. If you need additional assistance once in the water, we will paddle at a leisurely pace and help instruct you through the tour.
ONLY BRAND-NEW GEAR
We offer single and tandem (2 seaters) Wilderness System kayaks with Ocean Kayak seats and Tava stand-up paddleboards on our guided tours. All of our kayaks have contoured adjustable seats for comfort as you paddle.
Our single kayaks have a weight limit of 250 lbs and our tandem kayaks have a weight limit of 425 lbs. Football single kayaks with a weight limit of 425 lbs are available at our Wildlife Refuge kayak launch site in Titusville, at our Cocoa Beach location upon request and at our Merritt Island rentals location. Our stand-up paddleboards have a weight limit of 250 lbs.
HOW IT WORKS
We offer daytime, sunset and bioluminescent guided tours at our Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island and Titusville locations. We also offer self-guided rentals at our rental location in Merritt Island. Kayak and Paddleboards are available at our Merritt Island locations for guided tours and rentals, as well at our Titusville locations. Our Cocoa Beach location offers guided Kayak tours.
For waivers, we suggest filling them out ahead of time, to allow a smooth entry into the waterway. Upon booking your reservation, we email them to you prior within your confirmation email and reminder email to your assigned kayak tour. Waivers are also available upon arrival through our electronic system. If your party does need to sign waivers upon arrival, we suggest arriving 15 minutes prior to your reservation. Custom tour times are available upon request to accommodate cruises and travel schedules.
All photos are emailed to Cocoa Kayaking guests within 48 hours after the tour. Photos will then be available for up to 60 days after your assigned tour for your convenience. All photos are FREE.
Minimum of 2 people needed to operate a tour. Customer will be notified up to 2 hours prior of the tour if under the required limit. May change tour time and/or location to join another tour, or rebook for another day. May also elect to upgrade to a private tour instead of rebooking.
For cancellations, for parties of 15 or less, we have a 48 hour cancellation grace period for a full refund prior to your scheduled reservation. Credit is available up to 4 hours prior to your guided tour time. No credit or refunds are then provided after 4 hours prior to your guided tour. No shows will not be provided a refund or credit as we have to also pay out the guides. With weather, we do paddle rain or shine, but only go out during safe conditions. Please make sure to check the weather, prior to booking, to make sure that the weather is of your parties preference. For large parties of 16 or more, we have a non refundable two week cancellation policy. Not weather dependent. Please contact our office for further information with large party bookings or email our “Large Party Booking” operator at [email protected] ([email protected]).
TRIP ADVISOR: #1 KAYAK AND PADDLEBOARD TOURS!
CREATING POSITIVE EXPERIENCES THAT LASTS!
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WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE ON YOUR KAYAK TOUR
WEST INDIAN MANATEES
West Indian Manatee Off Season: November 15th – March 15th. West Indian manatees, formally nicknamed “sea cows.” can be seen throughout the year; however, there is a stronger chance of seeing them around our warmer months.
West Indian manatees travel in waters 68 degrees F or warmer. Once the water reaches 68 degrees F or lower, they will migrate to warmer locations throughout Florida. Freshwater artisan springs pour out along the sea walls of the waterway houses along the Thousand Islands of Cocoa Beach, Florida. This attracts West Indian manatees due to the fact that it is important for them to stay hydrated by drinking fresh water at least every one to two weeks. This helps increase our chance of seeing a West Indian manatee while paddling through the Thousand Islands of Cocoa Beach, Florida.
MANGROVE TUNNELS
Enjoy one of our daytime, sunset, or bioluminescence tours along the Banana River in the Thousand Islands and experience the beauty of mangrove tunnels! Learn about and kayak beside the red, white, and black mangroves of the Thousand Islands. Join our professional guides on a tour while they navigate and share their knowledge about how the mangroves survive in the brackish water and their importance!
CANNONBALL JELLYFISH
The cannonball Jellyfish is a species of the family Stomolophidae. This jellyfish is also known as the cabbagehead jellyfish. These type of jellyfish can mainly be found along the shore line and in estuaries. You will find these beauties on our Wildlife Refuge tours in Titusville.
HORSESHOE CRABS
Regularly seen at our Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island and Titusville, Florida locations.
ALLIGATORS
Regularly seen at our Wildlife Refuge Tours in Titusville, Florida.
CLOVER JELLYFISH
Seen at our Wildlife Refuge Tours in Titusville, Florida.
BLUE CRABS
HERMIT CRABS
DINOFLAGELLATES
BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS
Bottlenose dolphins gravitate towards the Banana River due to the warm waterways. While paddling in the area, we often get to see them travel in their pods. Bottlenose dolphins travel in pods of 10 to 20.
Dolphins they track their prey through the expert use of echolocation. These amazing marine animals can make up to 1,000 clicking noises per second! The sounds travel under the water and back to the dolphin, giving them the location, size, and shape of their specified target. Bottom-dwelling fish are their usual food of choice, but they will also eat shrimp and squid. At times, you may even be able to catch them surfing the wake of a fishing boat hoping to catch any leftovers!
These marine animals will travel 24 hours a day at 18-22 miles per hour, turning off one side of their brain at a time to rest. This gives us a strong chance of seeing a bottlenose dolphin! The best time to see them gliding through the waterway is in the mornings, but they have been spotted throughout the day, including on bioluminescence tours!
FLORIDA BIRDS
A few of the birds that you may encounter on one of Cocoa kayaking’s tours are great blue herons, wood storks, ibis, roseate spoonbills, herons, brown pelicans, snowy egrets, American white ibis, little blue herons, sandhill cranes, tricolored herons, great egrets, anhingas, and green herons, so be on the lookout!
BIOLUMINESCENT COMB JELLIES
These beauties are truly a natural phenomenon! They are quite prehistoric. Translucent to our eyes during the day and vibrantly glowing at night. What makes them glow you may ask? It is how they defend themselves. They have multiple rings around their body that glow. With their oxidation lucferian process they are able to glow anytime they feel needed. These prehistoric jellies only live a few years and travel in colonies. They eat smaller fish and will eat each other. The Bioluminescent Comb Jellies can be found on our daytime and sunset tours at our locations in the Thousand Islands of Cocoa Beach and Wildlife Refuge in Titusville, Florida. However, once night falls, our eyes adjust and are able to see their bioluminescent defense glow. Book our Thousand Islands Mangrove Tunnel Bioluminescent Comb Jelly Sunset Kayak Tour today! Imagine, fire flies that GLOW in the dark! Grab a fishnet on this tour and watch the magic come to life!
SPIDERCRABS
Regularly seen on our Wildlife Refuge Tours in Titusville, Florida.
STINGRAYS
Seen at on our Wildlife Refuge Tours and Cocoa Beach Tours in Florida.
CONK SHELLS
Found mainly on our Wildlife Refuge Tours in Titusville, Florida.
RED FISH, SNOOK, TARPON, SPECKLED SEA TROUT, BLACK DRUM, COBIA, JACK CREVALLE AND TRIPLE-TAIL!
MANGROVE TREE CRAB
