GENTLE GIANTS

In my tri-weekly walks over the 192 Bridge I usually spot a dolphin or two but lately it has been manatees. I just love their gentile nature.In my younger days (that makes me sound so old), I used to go to Blue Springs a lot with my parents to ride in the inner tubes and camp but my favorite parts was watching the manatees glide by in the crystal clear water.

I don't recall encounters during any of our rather eventful canoe trips and they wouldn't let you in the water with them at the Springs unless you were a certified scuba diver.

In my early 20's I had a (really cool) bright yellow, inflatable kayak that I had earned from accumulating Marlboro Miles in my smoking days. My friend and I set out on a flat, clear summer day to paddle around the shallow edges of the Atlantic Ocean. As we were cruising lazily, she taps me on the shoulder and points, eyes wide, to the water. Since the sea water was clear as a bell, the first thing I saw was GIANT, black blob underneath the kayak. I immediately freaked and so did she. Visions of the red float, "jaws" and then the red, bloodied water flooded my mind with fear. We paddled away from it as fast as we could slowly realizing that it was really a big manatee but once we were spooked, he was spooked.

Getting a bit more courage to approach this beast we paddled near it but it had had enough of us and swam (very quickly) away. At the time, I convinced myself that the reason I didn't jump in and swim with it is not because of the $500 fine I could receive but because of the theory that I could possibly have been the first person ever eaten by a manatee... Ok, maybe not. Now that I know how gentile and lovable they actually are, I really want to swim with one.

One fourth of July a few years ago, Jerome and I were riding our bikes to the foot of the bridge and there was a "teenage" manatee in the water in the middle of several kids. We stopped to see if the manatee was in danger but actually the real story is that the manatee would swim away and swim back in the middle of all the kids to roll over so they could scratch his
belly.Again, I wanted to jump in and touch and play too but I really wanted him all to myself.

Another time at Sebastian Inlet about 2 years ago, Charles and I got to touch one but Charles was in my arms and I was in fear of being swept out by the current into the inlet as we were petting it. Charles was amazed by the size of the creature.

So this brings my story to a day last week when I "dragged" my boys to the rivers edge to a secluded spot near one of the first little bridges right down the street. You wouldn't want to swim there, it is rather murky but it's a great spot to explore for wildlife. Right off the bat we spotted a small sting ray in about 1 foot of water and then found a little hermit crab that we thought about keeping but decided not too due to the stench.

But the highlight of the trip was seeing the nose of another "teenage" manatee underneath the middle of the bridge. I kept a close eye on him and seriously tried "tapping" the water in hopes of it getting the best of his curiosity. Jerome would never get within a foot of one but I sure would. I would have jumped right in if he had come any closer. $500 fine? You can pay $200 at Disney and that's not even including the gas to get there. If in the future, I see another manatee within swimming distance you can be sure I will be right behind him and hopefully with the absence of any ranger.

We eventually ended our exploration with a nice swing on the new one put up in our own "Indialantic Park" and a quick walk home.