My First Airboat Tour

I going to tell you about my first airboat experience. It was surely a day I will never forget.

Here is sat, behind my desk, at my new job, an airboat tour company, Marsh Landing Adventures Air Boat Tours. I was excited to learn about this type of business. I love fishing! I’m on a boat every Sunday, so I thought…this is right up my alley!

A week into my job, happy as can be, I was informed that I would need to go on one of our tours… WHAT?!?! WHY!?!?  Those boats are different that a bass boat! I sit down in a bass boat. Airboats, you sit higher, no sides.! I was told, I need to see what we do here, what our tours are like. Umm, nope!  I’m one of those people that if something is going to happen, well, it happens to me. I was scared! I just knew I would be the one person that would fall off the boat a tumble into the mud and land face to face with an alligator.

So, the day finally comes, I get the call from a captain…come join his tour. Fear went through me, sweat formed across my head, and I felt nauseous.  I was ready to quit my job right there to keep from having to get on the boat! I slowly walk out to my car, open my trunk and search for rope…yes, I said rope! I felt like I need something to tie myself to the boat, to my seat! Nothing, I had nothing…so here I go, putting my clean cloths and my wellbeing into a boat captain’s skilled hands.

I pull up to the boat ramp and there sits Capt Scott, his boat is ready with his guests waiting on me. I get to the boat and was told by Capt Scott that I would be sitting up with him in the co captain seat. I look up there, it’s like 50 foot off the ground, not really, but when your that scared, it sure seemed like it!  OH NO!! NOT ME!! All I thought about was that it was a lot higher for me to fly off the boat from. Image the distance I would cover flying through the air and rolling through the mud and water! It would be like skipping a stone…how many skips do I make?!

I get aboard, get my ear protectors on and look for something to tie me down…. nothing… I’m on my own. I take a deep breath as Capt Scott starts up the big giant airplane propeller sitting right behind me. That’s when another thought hits me….my hair! I have long hair! That propeller is going to grab ahold of it and rip me bald. Birds will be making nests out of my hair! Capt Scott must have noticed the painic on my face, plus I’m sure me grabbing my hair with both hands and turning my head around in circles like an owl kinda tipped him off, hands me a hair tie as he laughs at me. That settled me down a bit.

Here we go, we pull off the dock, and I grabbed this bar next to me, that’s when the tables turn….Capt Scott has panic on his face and yells….don’t grab that, let go!  WHAT?!? Well, apparently the bar I grabbed was the stick that steers the boat! I let go, and sit there, hands folded in my lap, hoping I stay in my seat. 

It took about 3 minutes for me to sit back in my seat, enjoy the wind on my face and wonder, what was I so afraid of? We cruise down the canal at about 15 miles per hour and I’m having a great time, excited to see what this tour was all about….and then I feel the boat pick up speed as we come to the end of the canal. I was having a great time, and now I’m back to the fear creeping up inside me.

Capt Scott reaches over and grabs my arm and we take a fast turn as he speeds up to our first location when he spins the boat in a circle to a stop.  I look at him and ask, “Did you think I was going to fly off?” He said no, I just wanted to reassure you that you will be fine and to relax.  It was so exciting, I wanted more! But Capt Scott shut the boat off, got out of his seat and got to the front of the boat.

He started talking to all of us, telling us about what we were seeing, about the Everglades, the wildlife….then he stopped talking and the quiet out there is unbelievable.   Then I heard it…. the sound of an Eagle (Capt Scott told us that what it was)…we all looked over at a tree and there sat perched on a limb. That made my entire trip on the air boat worth while. But we were not done! Capt Scott got back into his seat, cranked up the big beast again and off we went. Flying across the water, birds flying at lake level right next to us…..I wanted more! A lot more…

My trip was over way too soon, I only went out for 1 hour, and I took every opportunity to go out every time we needed pictures or video for the office. I would almost knock down my co worker to get out the door first to be on the airboat! What started with fear, ended up being a passion I still have to this day…..maybe I’ll have to look into becoming an airboat captain myself one day! Until then, I hope everyone has enjoyed my first adventure.

True Story By Terri