Sunrise on King's Bay

Absolutely the best thing about having the paddleboards with us was being able to go for early morning or late evening paddles.  We were able to do one or the other most days we were in Crystal River.

  On past trips to King's Bay, a highlight has been Three Sister's Springs.  We didn't get there at all this trip.  Mornings and evenings coincided with low tides, and the access to Three Sister's is rocky, the sort of situation which results in face-plants.

  Instead we wandered about, visiting Hunter Springs, Christmas Island and Buzzard Island.  Never too fast, we just strolled about looking at the water and shore.  As King's Bay has fresh water springs, but connects by Crystal River to the gulf it gets a wide variety of animals.  We often saw  skates, crabs, mullet, ducks, cormorants, anhingas, pelicans, ibis, grackles, buzzards and manatee.  I've got a few pictures to share:

Some ibis showing off

A young night heron(?) by Buzzard Island

Anhingas and Cormorants decorate a tree by Christmas Island

A young manatee passes by

    The light of the "magic" hours enhanced everything in the bay:

Scallopers at dawn

Palm Trees on Buzzards Island (a National Wildlife Reserve)

A variety of house styles along the waterfront

Fishing boats at sunset

   And no matter how early we were on the water, dive and snorkel teams were already out.  I think the manatee encounter boats began their morning trips at 7AM, we'd usually wait until 7:15-7:30 for better light.
All in all the perfect way to start or end any day.

Postscript: sitting here by the fire listening to the wireless modem beep its way to powerlessness makes these pictures all the more delightful. It was a surprise to see 14 inches of slush on Sunday, less of a surprise that many trees toppled, including some onto our power lines. Fortunately the weather is not too cold, the wood stove is warm and there's plenty of snow to melt!
 

Updates from King's Bay, Crystal River, Florida

 After our experiment at Wekiwa Springs, we decided to head to Crystal River where a keen demand for rental kayaks results in better boats being available.  Specifically, we went to King's Bay, where manatees, wildlife, and fish compete with people who love to kayak, boat, paddleboard, swim, scuba and dive with manatees, wildlife, and fish.

  In the morning we rented  from Crystal River Kayak.  They offer several types of sit-insides, sit-on-tops and canoes for rent.  We used the Delta 14's, which are a nice size for the bay.  

   Before renting we were required to watch a Florida Fish and Wildlife video about interacting with manatees.  It encouraged passive observation, and documented all sorts of inappropriate interactions.

  There are several seasonal manatee protection areas in Kings Bay; near Buzzard Island, Banana Island and Warden Key, as well as some spring areas.  It has been clarified that seasons are dictated by Gulf of Mexico water temperature and not specific calendar dates.

  King's Bay, has inlets, canals and springs and an abundance of wildlife, which makes every paddle there interesting.  The undeveloped islands are all sanctuaries, but there is the manatee observation platform, as well as parks and launches along the shoreline where you can land.  And though much of the shore is developed, there are undeveloped sections.

a wood stork wandering through the marsh

  I love Three Sister's Springs, though the recent addition of a boardwalk around it does make it a little less magical.

heading into Three Sisters Springs

  Only one non-bridged island has a residence on it; Christmas Island.  The house was built in 1960 of bricks taken from an old railroad station in Lakeland.   I'm not sure how much use the house has, but it serves as a terrific bird sanctuary.

Dock at Christmas Island

  We saw many, many black vultures in many,  many places:  acting as a welcome to this tour location.

     working with cormorants to festoon a wonderful Christmas-shaped-tree.

      We also saw manatee,

     other birds (Coots, ibis, osprey, gulls, wood storks) and  fish in abundance.

  A new sighting this year was a skate, who unfortunately did not pose for a photo..

  In the afternoon we rented paddle boards from Bird's Underwater.   These were rotomolded plastic boards, with separate narrow fins.  On a quiet day, King's Bay is an enjoyable place for paddleboards, primarily because the water is calm enough to enjoy the board and, the water's clear enough, with enough creatures in it, that we benefited from the improved view.

Mark snapped a picture of the Traverse paddleboard, from Emotion Kayaks

A pamplet showing the manatee sactuaries (off limits areas) in the bay
A paddle blog with links to launches from selected areas in Ohio, Florida, Tennessee Pennsylvania, etc  kayak2u
Our 2012 Paddle, ( includes kayak rental links and google map.)    A 2010 Paddle
A 1985 article about Christmas Island being available to rent

Florida: Crystal River - Kings Bay

 Kings Bay is hardly a pristine wilderness.  The shoreline has been reshaped and extended to create access canals.  About half the shoreline is cement wall.  And if every available lot doesn't have a house or hotel on it, it probably will soon.

A more developed shore

   Kings Bay is rarely empty: motor boats, kayaks, paddle boards and boat-loads of snorkelers fill the bay.   Their quest:  the  West Indian Manatee.  In cold weather Manatees need warm water, such as is provided by springs in King's Bay.  Thirty springs, pump almost 1000 cubic feet per second of 72 degree water into the bay.

   Not just manatees are found in the area.  There are fish, birds and much more.  On an evening visit in 2010,  we watched a dolphin corralling mullet into a dead end canal by Hunter Springs Park.  In 2009, while paddling Buzzard Island we happened on a raccoon digging for shellfish.  But mostly people come for the manatees.

   Despite all the love people have for manatees, they need privacy and protection.  Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge owns most of the islands in the bay, and significant land along Crystal River (connecting King's Bay to the Gulf.)  Crystal River State Park also owns large amounts of land in the area.    The Refuge marks several springs and stretches of water for manatee access only. 

An anhinga uses a sailboat as a resting perch

I like Kings Bay because of its size and scale.  It's about ten miles around the bay, but broken up with islands and inlets.  It's a great area for puttering.  There are at least two parks you can stop at and at least one ice cream stand.

We started out our paddle at Kayaks and Beyond's rental location and store.  They have a variety of kayaks - our favorites are the Delta 14s.  These are ruddered boats, but have firm foot pegs. They're a nice solid boat for the area.

Mark creating another GP convert at the Kayaks and Beyond launch

 Kayak and Beyond is the closest launch to  Three Sister's Spring.  Last time we visited King's Bay  many people were working to preserve Three Sisters Spring.  Good news - it's now owned by the National Wildlife Refuge.  The rules for visiting the Springs are different now: no disposable items can be brought in and kayaks may enter, but you can not get out of your kayak while visiting the springs (although you may swim in from the outside.)

Heading into Three Sisters

I love visiting the Springs because it is a rare undeveloped area,  The water coming from the springs is so clear, it's hard to believe the springs are deep enough to hold a tree trunk.  But they do, without the trunk breaking the surface  We paddled in and looked about and decided against swimming.  These springs are supposed to be a big manatee area, but we didn't see any.  What we did see was snorkelers already exploring the area.

From there is was about the bay.  None of the islands may be landed on EVER, and between November and March certain areas near the islands are marked as off limits.  In lieu of an island there is a manatee observation boat to visit.    Because of recent warm weather, fewer manatees were in the bay than had been there a few weeks earlier.  But we still spotted several.

Gracefully climbing on to the viewing platform

Lots of birds:  eagles, egrets, wood storks, brown pelicans, anhingas, buzzards, coots, ibis and pelicans.

Wood Storks

 This osprey is bathing itself.  We also saw an osprey do this in Placida.  It must be osprey bathing month

For lunch we stopped at Hunter's Spring Park; where there are picnic tables and restrooms.  That's where we spotted this:

At first I took it to just be a buoy showing the current.  Kings Bay has about an 18 inch tidal range, but certain areas get more current from nearby springs.    But no, it was a tagged manatee.  We were able to capture these  shots above and below water while standing on the stairs in Hunter Springs Park. 

Kings Bay has its struggles.  As you might suspect, heavy population and usage is damaging water quality.  But it is still amazing and a wonderful place to explore by kayak.

Boats lined up at Three Sisters entrance

Hunter Springs Park is on NE 1st Avenue, Crystal Springs.

Ibis at Hunter Springs Park

This last photo, is of two manatees swimming away from Three Sisters Spring.  It was taken one evening from the bridge on  SE Kings Bay Road.  Just after the bridge is a pullout for two or three cars. 

Resources and References:
Kayak Rentals:  Kayaks and Beyond.  Aardvark's Florida Kayak Tours (spoiler alert - we will use them for a custom tour in a post or two)  
This pamphlet has a chart of Kings Bay and shows off limits areas http://library.fws.gov/refuges/crystalriver02.pdf
Boat Launches King's Bay, Crystal River http://www.crystalriverfl.org/index.asp?Type=B_LIST&SEC={F3937449-7ED3-4687-8F25-E692B2D9309E}
Area Parks: http://www.crystalriverfl.org/index.asp?Type=B_LIST&SEC={607CC37E-4964-4967-8E36-1FC827923F13}
Kings River Fact Sheet http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/documents/plans/crystalriver_kingsbay-factsheet.pdf
  Save the Three Sisters Spring http://www.savethemanatee.org/three_sisters/savethreesisters.html
  Struggles to keep King's Bay clear  http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/water/drive-to-keep-kings-bay-from-being-smothered-by-toxic-algae-treats-symptom/1266444
We also enjoy the Eco Walk at the Crystal River State Park Preserve.  We've spotted deer, feral pigs, armadillo and more while on their trails.  http://www.crystalriverstateparks.org/Trails/Ecowalk.pdf

This picture is from last time, this time we paddled further, but much the same route

Further Afield: King's Bay Florida

King’s Bay, specifically, Three Sisters Springs is well worth a visit. Get there early in the morning, get there directly, and enjoy the beautiful clear water in the quiet sanctuary surrounded by trees.
On our way to Three Sisters

Abandon boats and swim!

King’s Bay in Crystal City Florida is noted for divers and manatees, both brought there by the abundance of springs. The manatees are particularly drawn there in the winter months when cold water drives them to seek warm water. Divers are there year round, drawn to the sudden depths at the various springs. (Look down the page at the link for a side cut of a spring)
King’s Bay is not a large area, but it is an interesting paddle, there are marshes, and miles and miles of developed areas. There are also restaurants, ice cream stands and a town park (with parking, restrooms, swimming and picnic tables) for destinations. It is a huge gathering place for parties on weekends, the boats just line up and anchor in huge mobs.
These boats are gathering by Banana Island

We’ve been to Crystal River twice. When we were there last year in May a storm was in position just off the coast. High winds, temperatures in the mid 50’s and rain were the order of the day. The storm also kept the water in the bay at low tide, so manatees were unable to get into Three Sister’s Springs, but hung around the outlet in the warm water. This year, it was hot, with temperatures in the 90s.
Last year we went swimming at Three Sisters and were quite chilled. This year the water felt perfect. If you have never seen a spring, it is a place where water bubbles up from an underground source. The place where it bubbles up is a deep dark hole and the movement of water attracts many fish.

With last year's cooler temperatures, algae growth through King’s Bay was not as bad. We could see fish in many areas. Hunter’s Spring, the town park, was quite clear, and we saw alligator gar lounging on the side. This year the only clear water was at the mouth of Three Sister’s Spring, everywhere else the water was green. At Hunter’s Spring green algae crowded around the edge of the spring threatening to coat us as we swam to shore.
However, in the steamy hot weather, the abundance of springs throughout the bay showed a true advantage. All that cool water bubbling up made a microclimate over the bay, where it was a reasonable temperature for paddling.
Fish love the bay, birds love the bay, we even saw a dolphin driving fish into dead ends to catch them. The dolphin was chasing mullets, so with each cornering half a dozen mullet would leap in the air. And manatees love the bay. We were surprised and delighted to spot several manatees last year, and this year we saw a lone manatee, hanging around the kayak launch point. I wasn’t expecting it, I thought the cloudy water would keep our sightings down, but I was pleased nevertheless.

Kayaks and Beyond has the closest launch to Three Sister’s Spring. To protect the manatees, Three Sister’s Springs is closed to boats, including kayaks, from November through April, as are several other areas in the bay.
Another trip report.

Facilities at Hunter Spring