In seats in the front row and ear protection in place, we were ready. At first the boat slid slowly and smoothly along the water through the winding mangrove tunnels. It was peaceful and beautiful. Then we took off with a roar and sped through the twists and turns like a slalom skier. In the open water beyond, we picked up a little more speed and slid through the turns. That was our ride on Captain Doug’s airboat with Jeremy at the helm.
It was great – the sensation of speed and the gliding through the tunnels.
It was a bit of a bummer – they didn’t exactly treat the wildlife according to National Park ethics (slid the boats right over a gator and fed the raccoons potato chips so they would pose for the visitors) and the one captain actually emptied the gas out of his fuel filter right into the water in the middle of the swamp when he had engine trouble. He did it in front of all the passengers. Obviously he didn’t see any problem with that. Hmmm.

It was a first hand reminder just how difficult it is to balance the commercial aspects with preserving these fragile environments.