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Photo by Mike Maples
Yes, it is a glass-bottom boat but this is not the
Bahamas. Our water in the bay is not always clear
and on the best days you can see the sand, crabs and
fish in 4’ of water. The kids do love to see the waves
under the boat and once in a while a dolphin will stick
his head up to the glass and scare the people on board
but other than that, don’t expect too much. The real beauty of the boat is how easy it is to move
around and how close it is to the water. On many other dolphin
cruise boats you are not able to easily move from one
side to the other as the dolphins do, or you are 8-15’
above them if they choose to come up to the boat. Either
way it is harder to see the dolphins and get a really
good picture. When photographing a dolphin being on the
same horizontal plane as the dolphin is very important.
Imagine the difference between a picture of the top of
his head vs. a picture of his eye, smile and dorsal fin.
Alabama Cruzin allows you to be as close as possible,
about 1-2' off of the water
and you can freely walk to any of the four sides of the
boat for the best view. The boat only needs 16”-18” of water
underneath, so on our nature cruises we can sneak up
into creeks and swamps were no other boats go. There are
lots of stumps, trees, logs and sand bars up there and
we have ruined many
propellers learning how to go as far in as possible.
1 ½ HOUR DOLPHIN CRUISES $15
Customers arrive about 30 minutes before departure and
register at the Tiki Hut. We have a deck that hangs over
the water for a waiting area and a dolphin statue for
some fun pictures with loved ones. We usually load the
boat when the last party arrives, the Captain does a
brief safety speech and if were lucky we leave a little
early. All of our cruises are done in the bay so people
don’t get seasick.
Once away from the dock we
immediately begin to look for dolphins. We have a
resident pod that fluctuates from 19-30 dolphins and
they generally stay within an area of about 5 miles. We
have over half of them identified by their dorsal fins
and named. As we begin our quest drinks and snacks are
served for $1 each and usually we see dolphins within 30
min. of leaving the dock. It is a nice ride and everyone
is excited to see the dolphins. The crew grab the
wireless microphones to explain and teach about our
wild dolphin friends. Since we are on a smaller boat
(about ½ - ¼ the number of people as other boats) it is
much easier to see what people want during their cruise.
At times they are talking among themselves and we cut
back on how much information we share. Other times the
questions are flying back at us and we find ourselves
explaining details of physiology, echolocation, animal
husbandry, intelligence and much more. Many times
children express a desire to grow up and work with
dolphins so depending on their age we present them or
their parents with an overview and contacts at human
care facilities and internship programs to assist them
in their educational goals.
We spend the rest of the time moving parallel or parked
adjacent to the dolphins so that everyone gets plenty of
pictures and information about these beautiful
creatures. Once we decide it is time to return to the
dock we put on the music and let the kids take turns
driving the boat. Of course there is so much more out
there on the water during any given trip. Shrimp boats
go by, yachts and barges travel the intracoastal
waterway with us as Pelicans, Osprey and Cormorants dive
into the water hunting for fish. We never know what we
are going to see on any given trip but they are always
different and people just love to be out on the water.
2 HOUR DOLPHIN AND NATURE CRUISE $20
This is our most popular cruise by far and for good
reason. For only $5 more we do two cruises in one. As
with the dolphin cruise the emphasis is on education and
fun. The first hour is the same as the dolphin cruise
and since the dolphins live in our back yard we usually
have plenty of time with them.
Once we have gotten our
dolphin fix (crew included) we head up into one of our
deserted swamps to view the wildlife and natural
settings. We usually see any combination of Osprey, Red
Tailed Hawks, Bald Eagles, Herons such as the Great
Blue, Little Blue, Green, and tri-colored, several types
of Egrets including the Great White Egret, alligators,
wild boars, deer, raccoons, snakes, crabs, fish, and
dozens of species of plants with fascinating histories
and attributes. We never see all of them on one trip but
they come and go making it exciting every time. Some
times it is Bird Day in the swamps with all of the
groups out in force. Other days we wonder where they
went and focus on animals and plants. We have people who
have been coming every year for 5-8 years and they
compare what they see each year and tell us about it. Once we have worked our way deep back into the swamps,
the ecosystem turns to forest. Depending on which swamp
we are seeing on that trip we begin to travel up a creek
into the forest. Many times we rub on branches, and
squeeze the boat through openings that amaze the
customers on board. Our goal is to take you where no one
else can go and the reward is seeing fascinating things
for the first time. The captain and crew are always
searching for insight and fun facts about the plants and
animals we see and many people say that, that was the
best part of the trip.
As we motor back to the dock the sun is often setting
and the trip affords great photo opportunities. We put
on some Caribbean music and watch the sky change before
our eyes. At $20 (less with your coupon) we believe you
will find
this to be one of the best deals on the island. |
