Before we went paddle boarding in Florida, we did lots of research. After reading several articles and listening to a local Florida wildlife scientist, we decided that the Turtle Beach/Siesta Key area was our best option, and here is why…
Choosing Where to go Paddle Boarding in Florida
I am terrified of alligators and want to avoid them at all costs. Floridians seem to have learned how to safely enjoy the Florida waters, and I wanted to know how. After hearing a presentation by an alligator scientist on our Florida visit, we felt like we had a better understanding of the best places to paddleboard in Florida. She said that alligators don’t like humans, so as long as we don’t feed them or make them feel threatened, then they usually leave humans alone. They also said to avoid the shorelines at night when alligators are hunting. Alligators also brumate in the winter. Burmmating is not hibernation per se, but a process in which the alligators’ metabolism drastically slows down. During this time, alligators barely move or hunt.
Finally, this scientist said that alligators don’t like saltwater or brackish water (partially saltwater). In fact, alligators can only tolerate saltwater for a few hours or, at most, a few days. Therefore, if alligators find themselves in saltwater, they quickly move along.
Paddleboarding in Salt or Brackish Water
Based on this info, we decided to paddleboard in salt or brackish water during the day while paddle boarding in Florida. We also like to take our Florida paddleboarding trips in the winter, when alligators are not moving around.
Paddleboarding the Inner Coastal Waterway at Turtle Beach
Turtle Beach, located near Siesta Key Beach, met the criteria. The inner coastal waterway is calm brackish water located right beside the salty gulf. Although we enjoy ocean paddleboarding, we thought the waves might make it too difficult for us while we were towing our 8-year-old and her board behind us.
The Turtle Beach Inner Coastal Waterway gave us the best of both worlds- a calm paddleboard-friendly entry point and access to the gulf beaches.
The best place to park for an easy walk to both the beach and the Inner Coastal Waterway is the Turtle Beach Free parking area. If the beach is in front of you in the parking lot, then the inner coastal paddleboard water access is to your left. There is a sidewalk running alongside the water-access point. You will probably see lots of other paddleboarders and kayakers launching off there.
This location even provides a paddleboard washing station for when you return.
The Inner Coastal has so much to see from large beach houses to secluded no-house-in-site mangrove-filled waterways.
This area was also home to many birds. We got to see several.
Parking Our Paddle board on a Secluded Beach
If you paddle along the mangroves you can find a beach landing area. You can park your paddleboard on this small beach area and just walk a few steps to get to the beach on the gulf side.
In fact, when you stand equally between the waterway and the gulf beach, you can see water on both sides of you. The only people on the beach were people who had gotten there by boat. I counted only 10 other families on the beach because this beach is really only accessible by water.
You can see just what I am talking about in the video below. We parked our paddleboards and had a picnic on Turtle Beach.
After we finished eating, we had a blast playing in the sand and the water at this secluded beach.
Paddleboarding at Siesta Key Beach, Florida
The Inner coastal waterway was smooth and pleasant. We also tried paddleboarding in the Siesta Keys. One of us paddled while the other stayed on the beach with our kids. Our particular paddleboards are made for touring and leisure, not for waves, and the water at Siesta Key was crowded with people. Because of these reasons, I mostly sat while paddling in the ocean. Turtle Beach Inner coastal waterway was a much better location for a true standup paddleboarding experience.
The view of Siesta Key Beach from the paddleboard in the gulf was stunning!
We didn’t spend all our time paddleboarding at Siesta Key. Siesta Key Beach is HUGE! Siesta Key Beach has plenty of actual beach areas for building sandcastles, playing a game of soccer or beach volleyball, or just lounging in beach chairs.
It truly is an amazing beach. In fact, Siesta Key Beach was voted #1 Beach in America!
We never go paddleboarding without our hammocks. These two palm trees in Siesta Key Beach were perfect for hanging our hammocks.
What to Do at Siesta Key After Paddleboarding All Day
I can’t finish this post without recommending a visit to Siesta Key Village. This little village is a perfect spot to relax, eat, and shop after a long day of paddleboarding.
The restaurants were fantastic and the atmosphere was lively. We had a chance to eat at three places on our trip- The Hub Baja Grill, RipFire, and The Village Cafe. All three restaurants were five-stars for me. You can see more in this video recap of our trip.
