No Kayak Experience Required / Focus on Natural Immersion & Building Expedition Kayaking Skills Region: Ten Thousand Islands and Everglades of Florida Duration: 6 Days, 5 Nights Skill Level: Beginner/Intermediate Dates: Dec 28, 2026 - Jan 2, 2027 Packing List Located on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the Ten Thousand Islands is the second largest mangrove forest on Earth. They represent the coastal exterior of the vast Everglades collection of complex ecosystems. The 4,000 square mile Everglades, the “River of Grass” as Marjory Stoneman Douglas dubbed it in 1947, is defined by water that dominates and shapes the land and all life in the region. Over the course of your six days of expedition, you will travel among the many islets, camp on beautiful shell-covered beaches, and learn the natural and human history of this place. The Ten Thousand Islands and Everglades also represents the ideal place to hone your skills as a kayaker. Your instructors will help you master skills like packing your kayak for expedition travel, creating a route plan and navigating only by chart and compass, practicing leave no trace principles, learning camp craft, and developing paddling skills like efficient strokes and techniques for self and assisted rescues – all aimed at making you a better and more confident kayaker. Of course, there is plenty of opportunity for relaxation as well. With moderate to warm temperatures you can dip in the Gulf waters or relax on a sandy beach. The Ten Thousand Islands are also an exceptional place for wildlife viewing. You’ll see marine mammals at play, birds in great numbers, and many other species, jumping fish and rays, and the occasional sea turtle. You can roam the sandy beaches and see hundreds of different shellfish. If fishing is of interest to you, then opportunities abound, like learning to throw a cast net or cast a line. At night sit by a campfire or stare skyward for the incredible sky found in this Dark Skies designated location, one of the best in the Southeastern U.S. Getting There Via Plane Plan to arrive in Fort Myers Airport (RSW) on the evening of Day 0 or morning of Day 1. Free shuttle service is available from the airport to launch site. Via Car Plan to arrive at Collier-Seminole State Park before 9:30am on Day 1 Meet your guides Anthony Sousa Location: Tarpon Springs, Florida Anthony co-owns Kayak ANT with his wife, Renée, in Tarpon Springs, Florida. After growing up in Maine and serving as a U.S. Marine for over 20 years, he was looking for a way to combine his love for the outdoors with his background in teacher education and leadership. He found his calling in outdoor experiential education. Now Anthony offers professional sea kayak technical skills instruction and guided or semi-guided adventures in nature through his company. He also freelances as an outdoor educator and kayak instructor for schools focused on experiential education and at kayak symposiums or instructor development workshops. Over the last 10 years, this new life pursuit has taken Anthony on work and personal kayaking journeys in places like the Everglades and Ten Thousand Islands of Florida, North Carolina Outer Banks, the Maine Coast, Panama, British Columbia, Alaska, North Greenland, and many other destinations. Ask him which was his favorite and he's likely to tell you, "The next one!" Some of Anthony's Certifications ACA Level 4 open water coastal kayak instructor, with instructor endorsements for kayak camping and Level 3 trip leader training/assessment Lead instructor, North Carolina and Hurricane Island Outward Bound Schools Tier one sea kayak patrol leader, National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) Wilderness First Responder Leave No Trace Master Educator Advanced Florida Master Naturalist Master of Education in Curriculum & Instructional Design, Florida A&M University Member of the Florida Paddling Trails Association, Tampa Bay Sea Kayakers, Sierra Club, and other organizations supporting education, enjoyment and protection of the outdoors.
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