provided to Santiva Chronicle
Tarpon Bay Explorers announced it has begun offering some tour opportunities – kayak and standup paddleboard, as well as the Nature and Sealife cruises. The outfitter will comply with Center for Disease Control guidelines and the SanCap Safe initiative while conducting tour offerings. Efforts to comply include, but are not limited to, limiting capacities, social distancing and required masks for guides and captains, etc.
“We are thrilled to get back a little bit of normalcy,” commented General Manager & Part-Owner Wendy Schnapp. “Though there are not as many people on the island that we would see in a normal summer, we have begun to see more visitors coming by and receiving more phone calls inquiring about tours.”
Florida and the City of Sanibel have been cautiously and slowly lifting restrictions. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis launched Phase II for the state last Friday. Tarpon Bay Explorers initially opened May 7, but only for rentals, the nature-themed gift shop and launch ramp.
“We always keep a ‘safety first’ mentality,” said Schnapp. “We still have all of our ‘Phase 1’ precautions set up in and around the gift shop- sanitation stations, sneeze guards, signs that inform people of social distancing policies. We are ready when visitors are.”
Tarpon Bay Explorers is the concessionaire to the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge. The company offers rentals and guided tours for the Refuge giving back 12 percent of all activities back to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife System. Rentals such as kayaks, canoes, standup paddleboards and bikes are on a first come, first serve basis. Reservations are recommended for the guided kayak, paddleboard and boat tours, especially since capacities are reduced for now. Call 239-472-8900 or visit www.tarponbayexplorers.com for more information or reservations.
Leave a Comment