Blackwater Creek by kayak This kayak adventure was a Christmas gift, and I must say we enjoyed it immensely. My wife had never kayaked before, while I had once kayaked several miles of the Marne River in France. Blackwater Creek gets its name from the color of the water, which looks very much like freshly brewed tea. The creek source is Lake Norris, which is spring fed. However, the abundance of Cypress trees and plant life that comprises the swamp which, where navigable is called Blackwater Creek, gives the creek its name due to the tanin content of the water. We put the kayaks in the water near the entrance to a county park near Eustis, Florida, and began paddling against a very slight current as we headed upstream toward Lake Norris. It was fairly effortless but, novices that we are we had to learn to work together to steer as we worked our way toward the lake against perhaps a 1 mile per hour current. At 9:00 AM it was still cool so we didn't see any gators on the way to the lake. Once we exited the swamp (Blackwater Creek is really just a channel through a swamp that is perhaps 10 feet wide, with trees and plants all around) and made our way into Lake Norris, we were immediately drenched in sunshine, a balmy breeze and unlimited vistas of Cypress Trees lining the shores of the lake. We explored the shoreline near the creek mouth and after about a half hour headed back to the creek. It's surprising what a difference paddling downstream is compared to paddling against the current. Because so little paddling is required except to steer, it is incredibly quiet. The temperature had warmed considerably as the sun climbed higher in the sky, and as a result we saw several alligators, a few turtles and far more bird activity than on our way upstream. Our Tour Guide, Astrid, was a pro. Having abandoned advanced degrees as a software engineer, her motivation is to share the importance of habitat and wildlife preservation as she encourages her kayakers to enjoy the amazing natural beauty of Florida. This is an excellent and very safe adventure, and Blackwater Creek is quite beautiful. I highly recommend it to people of all ages. We plan to kayak on the Wekiva River to see the manatees next.

💯 Recommend! Great Guide, Manatees, Gators, & Water Birds! Signed up solo while the hubs was in meetings all day. This is a 3 hour guided kayak tour. Astrid, our guide for the 8 of us, was fantastic! She was knowledgeable, patient, and took the time to assist anyone that needed more assistance, as there were a couple kayak newbies in the group. She took lots of pics and videos which was awesome bc I didn’t have to keep pulling my phone in and out of the waterproof bag except for when the manatee came right up to my kayak and I took that shot! The picture package was reasonably priced there were SO many great shots and now I can share the whole experience with my friends and family. If you are on the fence. DO THIS TRIP!!! Such a great afternoon with nature!!

Unforgettable experience The bioluminescent kayak tour is amazing and unforgettable. Thank you to Astrid for providing great information and being a kind and considerate guide.

Wauw- what a lovely day Wauw- what a Day with Astrid. We had the most beautiful Day in a 8 mile tour in a kayak. We Saw so many differend birds, alligators and was so lucky with manatees. The Nature we sailed was stunnig. Astrid is a very competent guide. Highest recommentions from us.

A fun experience! Our guide, Astrid, is knowledgeable of the area and of its inhabitants. We never felt like we were being rushed from place to place and could take our time to look at all there was to see…manatees, gators, and turtles! A wonderful experience!