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A Day Away Kayak Tours
Categories: Hotels & Travel Tours Active Life Rafting/Kayaking Tours, Rafting/Kayaking [Edit]
Merritt Island National Wildlife RefugeTitusville, FL 32796
(321) 268-2655
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 9 am - 6 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
4 reviews for A Day Away Kayak Tours
4 reviews in English
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Review from Kelleigh M.
Riverview, FL
9/18/2011
We went on the bio illuminescence kayak tour. It was packed-probably 150 people do they took us out in 3 groups.
It was organized and easy to to follow along.
The tour takes you out into several bays where the little glow in the dark organism are present.
It was a very unique experience. We were lucky because there were also jelly fish present that glow. Apparently they typically don't appear until december so this night was extra special.
The entire experience lasts about 2.5 hours.
The only reason not giving it 5 stars is because it was quite long. It could have been cut short by 30 minutes and been perfect. -
Review from James D.
7/31/2011 ROTD 5/13/2012
When making a mental highlight reel of the year, A Day Away has been featured in ours for 3 straight years. Last night, another entry was made.
When my girlfriend and I first started dating she told me about an oddity in Puerto Rico she longed to see. A bio-luminescent bay where the water glows bright with every movement. Nearly a year into our relationship she happened upon a news story about this very same phenomena happening nearby, in Merritt Island. Now, three trips under our belt, this is not an experience I will skip as long as I live in Florida. The bio tour is entirely what this review is for.
Every movement in the water makes the liquid appear to glow. Thanks to the bacteria, motion is your brush and the water is your palette. Strokes of the oar look like bright pulses and schools of fishing look like laser beam blasts. You can even use your hand to practically draw on the water like a sparkler in the air. Get to one of the brighter areas, and if you grab a handful of water and raise it up, the water will bead down your arm, like glowing hot metal. For whatever reason, Merritt Island is the only place you will find this in the continential United States.
It's a different experience every year, and unfortunately, as the tour guides will tell you, they can't turn on the bioluminescence with a switch. There are a few things to do to help your chances of a great night. Avoid June and October and hit the months in between. Since those are the tail ends of the summer heat, the happening is likely to be weaker. The warmer the water, the more vivid the bio. We've gone in mid-September, early October, and now the very end of July. Overall, the brightest it's been for us was the September trip. After you pick a month, you'll need to pick a day based on the moon phase calendar. This is listed on their website, and should not be ignored. They do not run this particular tour during full moons, as the blacker the sky, the better the bio. This also lends to the most beautiful and clear night skies I've seen anywhere, ever.
It sucks, but also be ready for disappointment as nature is finicky. Our first year, the glow was bright and everywhere. The softest ripple or wind blow would cause a reaction, and the fish were plentiful. We went to an early launch and watched dolphin and manatee as the sun went down. While that first year has yet to be beat in terms of what was to be seen, our other experiences have still been amazing. Your memories will be all you'll leave with, as the bioluminescence can not be picked up by cameras or film. So frustrating!
I've heard of people going off on their own and others going with different tour groups, but honestly I don't think I would do other. The A Day Away people are always professional, friendly, and from my understanding (I could be wrong) they have special privileges to that launch site. Some friends went with another group recently and saw no bio at all. It could have been due to the weather, the time of the year, or the location, but after joining us last night one guy said the two experiences did not compare.
If you end up going, make sure to follow their directions to get to the launch site and not those from Google Maps. Give yourself plenty of time or you WILL be late and you will miss your launch, and the last thing you want is to miss your trip. Well, I guess the last thing you would want is to be attacked by a gator-elephant-man hybrid with a taste for fresh human skin. That probably won't happen.Listed in: Good for Gropes
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Review from Rhea P.
7/26/2009 1 photo
I am going to be so sore tomorrow. But that's ok. I have been wanting to go kayaking for some time and was really excited to hear about this place. A group of us went on the manatee tour which lasts for about two hours on the water. The tour is really at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which is about an hour drive from Orlando.
We were able to see lots of manatee activity. Apparently it's the mating season, so they were really rocking it. I was also surprised to see dolphin, cranes, of course, fish, and sting rays.
The tour is currently $35 per person and there are many types of tours one can take, including overnight camping trips for the more experienced. I would like to take the space shuttle kayak tour or possibly the night tour, which I hear is pretty cool. You pay before you go, either online or by phone, so all you need to do is meet up with the guide at the water front the day of the tour. Make sure you use the restroom before you get there.
Our tour guide was awesome! Very informative and patient with everyone. Highly recommended tour if you want to spend a day on the lake. -
Review from Kevin S.
Silverdale, WA
4/8/2010 12 photos
We went on a family vacation to Orlando last week. I started kayaking last summer and I wanted to get out on the water while we were down in Florida.
I googled kayak rentals and guided tours for Florida and came up with several listings. It's hard to tell if one is better than another, so I started searching other websites like BBB and Yelp for reviews. I found that this group, A Day Away Kayak Tours, had one positive review here on Yelp, a good rating on BBB, and a very nice and informative website. I called them once for information and another time to reserve the trip, and both times I was very pleased with how friendly and informative it was speaking with them on the phone.
My two boys (8 and 6 years old) and I went on the Merritt Island Tour / Manatee Tour. Note there are two listings for those tours on their website, but it's the same tour. They just call it the Manatee Tour in the spring and summer when the Manatees are around, but both tours go to the same place in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Preserve.
Thumbs-up / Kudos to the ADAKT staff for their advice with regard to directions. They specifically warned me DO NOT FOLLOW YOUR GPS DIRECTIONS, follow the directions they send you in your reservation confirmation email. They were absolutely right. My GPS wanted me to go all sorts of bass-ackwards directions that would've taken me FAR FAR away from where I wanted to be. The directions they provide are simple and easy to follow and get you directly there.
The tour is scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m., and they recommended leaving at least an hour and a half early from Orlando to beat the traffic. Just to be safe, we left our hotel near Sea World in Orlando at 7:30 a.m. We got to Titusville way early, but that's okay. I had just thrown the boys in the car in their PJs, so we stopped at McDs in Titusville to change into swim trunks and swim shirts and get some coffee. We also stopped at the Walgreens to burn some time, then got in the car to head on over.
We WOULD have been right on time...
Except there's a draw bridge...
And it was OPEN...
So we had to wait...
And we were a little late.
Even so, the tour guides weren't overly annoyed with us.
They had a nice kayak that fit all three of us. I sat in the back, my oldest son sat in the front, and my younger son sat on the jump seat in between us.
We had a great time. The boys loved it. We saw several dolphins, one alligator, lots of pelicans and other birds, and Florida striped tulip conch snails.
There were about 12 kayaks or so in our group, most with 2 people in the kayak except for ours with 3 and the three tour guides riding solo. The lead tour guide, Elisabeth, rode at the front. Tour guide Travis rode at the back making sure we didn't leave anyone behind. Tour guide Kristi rode in the middle and was very helpful in pointing things out to my boys.
I was very pleased with our experience with A Day Away Kayak Tours, and I would recommend them to friends. The only reason I give them 4 stars vice 5 is that I reserve the 5 star rating for businesses where I have experience with the competition and know they're hands-down the best. I have not tried any other kayak tours in Florida, so I cannot say conclusively that ADAKT is the BEST, but they were very good and we really enjoyed our day out.
Specialties
A Day Away Kayak Tours offers tours seven days a week at various sites across Central Florida. Our base of operation is the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in East Central Florida, one of the most diverse estuaries in North America. We have a fleet of 80 seats in standard kayaks, a smaller number of motorized kayaks and a pontoon boat for intimate settings. Your experience regardless of the vessel is going to be a quality one full of memories you'll enjoy for years to come.
History
Established in 2001
The current owners have had the business since 2005. Family owned and operated the focus has been on offering a quality eco experience that allows the patron to connect with nature in such a way that life long, dynamic memories are made. For this reason word of mouth and returning customers continue to be the largest sources of patronage. A Day Away has also had the privilege of offering the first bio-luminescent kayak tour in North America. An experience without comparison for people of all ages and abilities.
Meet the Business Owner: Mike M.
Mike has had A Day Away since 2005. He grew up in the Mississippi delta where his love for the outdoors and all it had to offer was cultivated. Heading towards a degree in Marine Biology and ending with a degree in Religion he landed in ministry which took him around the world. Many years, miles and experiences have left him far richer in many ways and now standing at the helm of A Day Away. Whether it is his love for people or for the natural environment around him that makes A Day Away such a success we aren't sure but each can be seen daily on the job which in turn transfers to the crew as well as the patron experience.
