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Southwest Florida |
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Nature Preserves & Ecological Attractions |
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Charlotte
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Explore 4 miles of nature
trails through pine and palmetto flatlands, hammocks,
and marshes, where alligators and bobcats live. Learn
more about the preserves and the animals that inhabit
them through exhibits in the environmental center. |
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Bald eagles, marsh rabbits,
bobcats, gopher tortises, and great horned owls are the
stars of this 62-acre park. A nature preserve and
environmental center make it easy to discover the
natural wildlife of Southwest Florida. Free guided
nature walks are offered on weekends. There is also
fishing, canoeing, kayaking, nature trails, and a
playground available for use. |
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The island's
beaches are its greatest prize and lie within Gasparilla
Island State Park and Boca Grande Lighthouse Museum at
the south end. The long, narrow beach ends at Boca
Grande Pass, famous for its deep waters and tarpon
fishing. Look for iguanas in the wilds; the burgeoning
colony is a result of pets let loose. The pretty,
two-story, circa-1890 lighthouse once marked the pass
for mariners. In recent years, it has been restored as a
museum that explores the island's fishing and railroad
heritage. |
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Lemon
Bay Park & Environmental Center |
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570
Bay Park Rd |
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Englewood, Florida |
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941
474-3065 |
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Explore 195 acres of
mangrove forests, wetlands, pinelands, and scrub.
Experience its nature trails, butterfly garden, indoor
environmental displays, and educational programs and
guided walks. |
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The Ponce de
León Historical Park and Peace River Wildlife Center is
named for the famous conquistador who, according to
local lore, took a fatal arrow here. A humble shrine and
historic marker pay homage, but the park's best features
are the fishing, wildlife, and view at the mouth of the
Peace River. The wildlife rehabilitation facility that
shares the point of land conducts tours among cages of
baby possums, taped-together gopher tortises, and other
rescued and recovering animals. |
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wildlife
tours & charters |
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If you wish to experience
the thrill of meeting panthers, Florida cracker cattle,
birds, and dozens of wild alligators face to face, then
this tour is a must. Specially built swamp buggies carry
you through unspoiled pinewoods, fresh water marsh, and
sections of the Telegraph Cypress Swamp. A professional
tour guide completes the experience with commentaries on
the wildlife, ranch activities such as cattle and
horses, and history of the area. You can bring a picnic
or enjoy a lunch of gator bites, hamburgers, hot dogs,
and other luncheon items in our seasonal Gator Shack
Restaurant. |
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Grande
Tours |
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12575 Placidia Rd |
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Placidia, Florida |
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941
697-8825 |
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Wildlife, sunset, and
eco-tour cruises, as well as kayaking and fishing
throughout the Myaka River, Gasparilla Sound, Boca
Grande Bayou and Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserve, led
by a naturalist. Custom charters and private tours are
also available. |
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Collier County |
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This
729,000-acre preserve abuts Everglades National Park to
the North and Fakahatchee Strand Preserve to the east.
This park is ideal for naturalists, birders, and hikers
who prefer to see more wildlife than humans. Several
scenic drives link off Tamiami Trail (some require
four-wheel-drive vehicles) and a few lead to camping
areas. There are walking, canoeing, and bicycling
trails. All three trail types are easily accessed from
the Tamiami Trail near the preserve's visitor center,
and one boardwalk trail departs from the center. Canoe
and bike equipment can be rented from outfitters in
Everglades City and Naples. |
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Here, Naples
meets the Everglades. One of the regions prettiest
parks, it encompasses manicured lawns in contrast to the
jungle-like wilderness. Nature trails, biking, camping,
and boat tours into Everglades territory make
Collier-Seminole State Park an easy introduction to this
often forbidding land. Of historical interest, a
Seminole War blockhouse has been recreated to hold the
interpretative center, and the only remaining "walking
dredge" -- invented to carve the Tamiami Trail out of
the muck -- adorns the grounds. |
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To
get a feel for what this region of Florida was like
before development drained the swamps visit this 11,000
acres of pine flatwood and cypress, grass-and-sedge "wet
prairie," saw-grass marshland, and lakes and sloughs
filled with water lettuce. Managed by the National
Audubon Society, the sanctuary protects North America's
largest remaining stand of ancient bald cypress,
600-year-old trees as tall as 130 feet, as well as
endangered birds, such as wood storks, which often nest
here. This is a favorite destination for serious
birders. If you spend a couple of hours to take the
2¼-mi self-guided tour along the boardwalk, you'll spot
ferns, orchids, and air plants, as well as wading birds
and possibly alligators and river otters. A nature
center educates you about this precious, unusual habitat
with a dramatic re-creation of the preserve and its
creatures in the Swamp Theater. |
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One of the most popular
seashore destinations in Naples, this park's mile-long
stretch of white sugar sand has been rated as one of the
best beaches in the nation. The beach is popular for
sunbathing, swimming, beachcombing, snorkeling, and
picnicking, and fishing, at the beach along Wiggins
Pass, where swimming is not allowed. There is also a
hard bottom reef, which runs parallel to the beach where
scuba diving is permitted. Guided tours are given on
Wednesday's during turtle season and Friday's most of
the rest of the year. Loggerhead turtles come ashore to
lay their eggs in summer, away from the crowds and
lights of other beaches. |
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Everglades National Park is
the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States
covering more than 2200 square miles. The area boasts
rare and endangered species, such as the American
crocodile, Florida panther, and West Indian manatee, and
contains the largest mangrove forest in the world. The
park offers ranger-guided tours and talks, hiking and
bicycle trails, fishing, and camping. In addition to
ranger-led tours, there are other ways to enjoy a guided
tour through the ark. Concession boat captains narrate
boat tours along the mangrove coast at both Flamingo and
the Gulf Coast Visitors Center, and tram drivers help
you explore the Shark Valley Slough. A variety of land
trails offer visitors opportunities for leisurely walks,
extended hikes and bicycle treks. Canoe and bicycle
rentals are available for self-guided exploration, and
there are a handful of private sightseeing cruises as
well. In Everglades City you can rent a pontoon boat or
hire a charter captain for sightseeing and fishing. The
visitors center has a few hands on exhibits. Tables and
a Chikee hut accommodate picnickers. |
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Take a guided or self-guided
tour, or guided canoe trip through this unique preserve.
A 2,000-foot long boardwalk at Big Cypress Bend,
meandering through the old growth cypress, enables the
visitor to experience the beauty of this unusual swamp.
This Park hosts a wide array of habitats and forest
types from the wetter swamps and prairies to the drier
islands of tropical hardwood hammocks and pine rock
lands. Its groves of native royal palms are the most
abundant in the state and the ecosystem of the
Fakahatchee Strand is the only place in the world where
bald cypress trees and royal palms share the forest
canopy. It is the orchid and bromeliad capital of the
continent with 44 native orchids and 14 native bromeliad
species. It is a haven for wildlife. Florida panthers
still pursue white-tailed deer from the uplands across
the wetlands. Florida black bears and Eastern indigo
snakes, Everglades minks and diamondback terrapins can
still be found here. The resident and migratory bird
life is spectacular and attracts many enthusiastic
visitors. |
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Visit the Discovery Center,
walk along two nature trails, see native wildlife at the
Wildlife Rehabilitation Center; shop in the Nature
Store, and take a boat trip to the Gordon River - all at
the Conservancy Nature. Electric boat cruises, and
canoe and kayak rentals are available. |
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The
Naples Preserve |
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1690
Tamiami Trail N |
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Naples, Florida |
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239
213-7120 |
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This 9.5-acre patch of
ancient ecology along the highway is fitted with a
half-mile boardwalk that crosses scrub oak, grassy
meadow, and pine flat-woods communities. Gopher tortises,
deer, bobcat and birds occupy the habitat. |
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Rookery Bay National
Estuarine Research Reserve, the Gulf Coast's largest and
most pristine wildlife sanctuary, occupies more than
110,000 acres at the gateway to Ten Thousand Islands. It
is "Ding" Darling without the crowds, and a favorite of
fisherman and bird-watchers. Rare creatures such as the
American crocodile, manatee, Atlantic green and Ridley
sea turtles, bald eagle, and roseate spoonbill inhabit
its backwaters. For an introduction to this vast and
largely inaccessible reserve, visit The Environmental
Learning Center, a 16,500 square-foot facility with four
research laboratories, classrooms and 140-seat
auditorium, and two story visitors center. The visitor
center offers a variety of hands-on experiences,
including 2,300-gallon aquarium with a 15-foot mangrove
growing out of it and space into which kids can crawl
and get to know the habitat. Interactive exhibits,
include Crab Condo, a touch tank, Mosquito Landing, and
other fun and original learning tools. as well as a
nature store, gallery and picnic area.
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wildlife
tours & charters |
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Nature and sunset boat tours
dip into the pristine, bird-rich waters of the
Cocohatchee River and onto the gulf, where passengers
often spot dolphin. |
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Boat tours of the mangrove
waterway are included with admission. It also hosts
wildlife cruises of Rookery Bay Reserve, Key Island
shelling expeditions, and sunset bird-watching tours
aboard the pontoon boat Good Fortune. |
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Double
Sunshine |
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1200
Fifth Av S |
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Naples, Florida |
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239
263-4949 |
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Departs five times daily for
90-minute narrated nature and dolphin sighting cruises. |
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Naturalist-narrated tours
through the maze of Ten-Thousand Islands and its teeming
bird and water-life. |
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Captains Barry and Carol
take up to six passengers on a 90-minute sightseeing
charter into manatee sanctuary by appointment. The boat
departs from Port of the Islands development. |
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Lee County |
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This environmental center
offers a 2-mile wildlife trail with a Seminole
Amerindian village, a butterfly aviary, a native plant
garden, a caged bobcat and albino racoon, 100 other live
animals, and an injured bird aviary. Join a guided walk
of the cypress swamp boardwalk (call for days and
times). Indoors you can see live animal exhibits-
snakes, tarantulas, alligators, and bees- and
demonstrations. The planetarium uses telescopes, laser
lights, and astronomy lessons in its
presentations. |
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A wildlife refuge occupies
about 90-percent of this 2,225 acre island. Besides the
occasional wild hog that survives on the island, egrets,
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C.R.O.W. |
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3883
Sanibel-Captiva Road |
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Sanibel Island, Florida |
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239
472-3644 |
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The clinic for the
rehabilitation of wildlife is a hospital that duplicates
natural habitats and tends to sick and injured wildlife.
The facility cares for more than 3,000 patients
annually. You can visit animals on the mend by tour. |
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An ecological preserve, four
mile cove runs parallel to the bridge and allows
exploration of 365 acres of wetlands along a 4500-foot
boardwalk and nature trails that take you away from the
hustle and bustle of the city. Interpretive center,
restrooms, picnicking, guided nature walks and kayak
rentals on the weekends (October-May). |
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Explore the fabled bays,
rivers, backwaters and shorelines of Southwest Florida.
Witness dolphins racing across the horizon and manatees
gliding through back bays and estuaries. Inspired by the
Calusa Indians, the first residents of the area, The
Great Calusa Blueway encompasses two distinct regions of
the Gulf of Mexico coast. The first portion of the trail
meanders through Estero Bay, while the second segment
centers on Pine Island Sound and Matlacha Pass.
Outfitters offer guided trips to view sunrises and
sunsets, bird rookeries, manatees and dolphins,
shelling, archaeology and history. Starlight and
full-moon excursions are special treats not to be
missed. For those of you who want to go it alone, there
are numerous rentals, launch areas, and trail map
available. |
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More than 6,000 acres of
pristine wetlands and wildlife are protected by the
federal government, thanks to the Pulitzer prize winning
cartoonist and political activist J.N. "Ding" Darling, a
regular visitor to Captiva in the 1930's. A five-mile
drive takes you through a refuge, once a satellite of
the original Everglades National Wildlife Refuge. To
really experience the preserve the refuge get out of the
car and follow the easy trails into the mangrove, bird,
and alligator territory. Narrated tram and guided canoe
tours are available. |
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Manatee
Park |
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10901 Palm Beach Blvd. |
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Fort Myers, Florida |
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239
432-2038 |
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A 16-acre recreational park
that feeds our fascination of the lovable manatee. In
addition to the manatee viewing area it provides
hydrophones (in season) so visitors can eavesdrop on the
gentle mammals, polarized filters for seeing under the
murky water, habitat exhibits, a nature boardwalk, canoe
and kayak rentals, nature programs, wildlife habitat
areas, an information center, and picnic facilities. The
park also serves as a rescue and release site for
injured and rehabilitated manatees. |
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This 56-acre preserve
provides a 1.25 mile loop trail and boardwalks through
mangroves to out of the way bay waters. |
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Maintains a showroom of
local sealife for visitors to tour. Aquariums hold local
species in various habitats. Manatee, loggerhead, and
other kiosks explain the plight of endangered species
and the workings of the local shrimping industry. In
addition the center provides interactive displays and a
boardwalk along the bay where you can learn about
shrimping, estuaries, and local maritime heritage. A
three-hour Wednesday Working Waterfront Tour takes you
along the boardwalk beginning at 9am. |
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This research and
preservation facility encompasses more than 1,800 acres.
A guided or self-guided tour introduces you to
indigenous flora and natural bird habitats. Indoor
displays and dioramas further educate and include a
touch tank. Guest lecturers, seminars, and workshops
address environmental issues during the winter season.
There is a weekly beach walk which is both fun and
informative. There is a native butterfly house and plant
nursery on the premises. |
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Egrets, herons, ibises, and
cormorants come to feed at this shallow waterway. Take a
guided or self-guided tour around the mile-long
boardwalk through cypress trees and wetland. |
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wildlife
tours & charters |
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Established in 1986,
Adventures in Paradise has been as a recreational
management company endeavoring to introduce you to our
world of the sea; dolphins, manatee, river otters,
seahorses, shelling, and much more. |
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Canoe
Adventures |
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716
Rabbit Rd |
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Sanibel Island, Florida |
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239
472-5218 |
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Guided tours with a noted
island naturalist in "Ding" Darling National Wildlife
Refuge, on the Sanibel River, and in other natural
areas. |
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Estero
Bay Boat Tours |
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5231
Mamie St |
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Bonita Springs, Florida |
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239
263-4949 |
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See and learn about Mound
Key's Calusa history, Estero Bay wildlife, and Big
Hickory Island's shells is conducted by a local native
and his staff who know these waters like family. |
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Explore the fabled bays,
rivers, backwaters and shorelines of Southwest Florida.
Witness dolphins racing across the horizon and manatees
gliding through back bays and estuaries. Inspired by the
Calusa Indians, the first residents of the area, The
Great Calusa Blueway encompasses two distinct regions of
the Gulf of Mexico coast. The first portion of the trail
meanders through Estero Bay, while the second segment
centers on Pine Island Sound and Matlacha Pass.
Outfitters offer guided trips to view sunrises and
sunsets, bird rookeries, manatees and dolphins,
shelling, archaeology and history. Starlight and
full-moon excursions are special treats not to be
missed. For those of you who want to go it alone, there
are numerous rentals, launch areas, and trail map
available. |
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Manatee
World |
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5605
Palm Beach Blvd |
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Fort
Myers, Florida |
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239
693-1434 |
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Your journey will take you
on a narrated ecological cruise into a natural wildlife
habitat filled with many of Florida’s most beautiful
birds, plants, and animals in their native surroundings.
Our boats are designed to be environmentally friendly
and manatee safe. Let us show you how man and nature can
coexist to the benefit of all and see why it is
important to preserve these vanishing treasures. |
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Explore the historic
meanders of the upriver Caloosahatchee on a 2 1/2 hour,
professionally guided River tour. Follow the river back
to a time when a waterfall served as the headwaters of
the Caloosahatchee and settlers braved living amongst
the wilderness. |
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See
wildlife up-close and discover the J.N. “Ding” Darling
National Wildlife Refuge with an experienced naturalist
by your side. Tarpon Bay Explorers offers many guided
tours designed to be both educational and fun! Birds,
dolphins, manatees, and alligators are just some of the
amazing wildlife found in the pristine native tropical
and subtropical vegetation of Sanibel Island. |
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Snorkeling & Scuba |
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Florida's west coast has no
natural reefs, but several have
been built to provide a home for
marine life. There are nearly 20
of these artificial reefs along
the Sanibel Island coast. The
Edison reef is one of the
largest and was created from the
sinking of a former Fort
Myers bridge. It lies in 42 feet
of water 15 nautical miles off
the Sanibel Lighthouse. The
Belton Johnson Reef lies about 5
nautical miles off Bowman's
Beach on Sanibel. Other popular
sites include the Redfish Pass
Barge which lies in 25 feet of
water less than a nautical mile
from Redfish Pass between
Captiva Island and North Captiva,
and the Don Kline Reef, a
popular spot for tarpon fishing,
this reef is less than 8
nautical miles from the Sanibel
Lighthouse. Cayo Costa State
Island Preserve offers
snorkelers nice ledges alive
with sponges fish and shells in
2 to 5 feet of water. |
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