I hadn't been on a boat ride for a few months, so when my friend Captain Kim said she was taking out some people from Sarasota Audubon to go take pictures of Magnificent Frigatebirds, I jumped at the chance. It's always great to get out on the water and see all the wildlife around Cortez, Florida. Cortez is one of the few remaining fishing villages in Florida. I made the drive from my house going up Longboat Key to Ana Maria Island where Captain Kim would pick us up.
This is where Captain Kim picks you up. The boat launching ramp on the southern end of Anna Maria. People come from all over the world to visit Anna Maria Island and it is on all kinds of best of lists for the best vacation.
Here is a map from Apple Maps of the area.
Here I am by the bridge that connects Longboat Key to the south to Anna Maria Island. Captain Kim does all kinds of tours like: eco tours, dolphin watching, shelling, exploring trips and sometimes you might even see a Manatee! She is very knowledgeable about the local wild and see life. People that take her tours are amazed at how much see knows!
She come to pick us up for a ride over to the the island where the Frigatebirds will be. Here is a couple pictures of them I got on a previous trip.
Here is a pic of the group I was with. You can see the two serious photographers up on the bow.
We had some Cormorants following the boat because the boat would scare the fish up off the bottom and the Cormorants that fish underwater could get them with little trouble.
After awhile, I turned around to get a picture of the Cormorants off the stern of the boat and what did I see, but a storm coming in!
So we had to hightail it back to the dock! We got back just before it started to rain. It was a great trip, all though it was cut short. If you come to Florida you must go for a ride with Captain Kim! It Doesn't even cost that much. As of this writing it is $30 per person for 2 hours - what a deal! I can't wait to go on another adventure with Capt. Kim!
