Night Paddleboarding Tours Offered By New Tour Company
By Annie Blanks, nwfdailynews.com, July 18, 2016
SUP Destin Eco Tours, owned by Sheldon and Jennifer Miller, has come up with a new way to explore Destin.
The company, which is fully licensed and insured, takes customers out on a guided tour of the harbor, underneath the Marler Bridge and out by Crab Island.
“Paddle boarding is the fastest-growing water sport in the world,” Sheldon said. “We wanted to give people knowledge of Florida, the springs and the environment around here.”
What makes SUP Destin Eco Tours unique is its nighttime tours, which leave Norriego Point at sunset. The paddle boards are lined on the bottom with LED lights that flash multiple colors, allowing boats and passers-by to see them as well as allowing the paddle board user to see underneath the water at night.
The excursion takes customers underneath the Marler Bridge expanse, where the lights illuminate the water straight to the bottom, allowing paddlers to see fish, stingrays and other marine life.
“It’s amazing,” said Michael Lauver, a Destin local who went on the sunset tour last week. “I’ve been on a paddle board before, but never like this.”
The fluorescent lights illuminating the dark waters make for a spectacular sight.
“It was exhilarating,” said Jessica Simmons, a first-time paddler who just moved here from Alaska.
In addition to seeing what’s underneath, paddling at night allows customers to see a rare sight above as well. Out on the water at night, away from the bright city lights, the sky lights up with stars, a sight that is difficult to observe in the thick of the city.
According to Miller, that’s what he hopes people get out of the experience.
“We started this company to show people a piece of Destin they don’t normally see,” he said.
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