If you book either The Seahorse Retreat or The Palm Breeze Beach House, you will most likely want to kayak on the beautiful Santa Rosa Sound (our backyard), and the calm waters (in good weather) make it an ideal place to do that. And, since both homes provide tandem kayaks to guests, it is easy to bring them down to the beach and launch out into the shallow water to explore.
Important Rules:
- Make sure to wear life jackets. We provide them, and you’ll find them in each garage.
- Avoid bad weather or choppy water. While there are no rip tides in the Sound, wind gusts can create large waves, overturn boats, and also make it difficult to paddle.
- Santa Rosa Island, which is the barrier island you see in the distance, is about one mile from our homes. Please do not think you can paddle over there, bring the kayak on the beach. The island is off limits. You cannot explore it. It is owned by the military, and civilians are not allowed to enter any part of the island. We have noted this in the information we send to guests, but often people don’t read it.
- Don’t leave the kayaks on the beach unattended.
IT REALLY HAPPENED - Here are a few kayaking cautionary stories that have happened to our guests that we don’t want to happen to you:
"Yes Sir!, No Sir!" - In April 2019, some boys kayaked across the Sound to Santa Rosa Island. It was there. Seemed like a cool thing to do. The wind kicked up, and when they tried to return, they kept getting pushed back. They beached on the monitored and secure military installation. Their parents got a call from military security and were told where to pick them up at the gate off the entrance to Navarre Beach. They had to strap the kayak onto the car and bring it back.
"Kayak Sleeps with the Fishes" - Some guests decided to take the Seahorse Retreat’s tandem kayak and single kayak out on the Sound. But they got the idea two people are better than one for the single-person kayak. Far from shore, the kayak began to sink and the guests had to be rescued by the US Coast Guard. They also had to purchase a new kayak because the original kayak is now an artificial reef at the bottom of the Sound.
"Kayaks Take a Walk" - Despite our request not to leave kayaks on the beach unattended, some guests in the Seahorse Retreat left the kayaks there overnight. Since kayaks have no feet, we can assume they were taken and the guests ended up purchasing new kayaks. The surf can also rise higher on the beach and the kayaks can float gently away in the middle of the night.
NO JOKING MATTER - We want our guests to relax and have fun, but please do not let your guard down and make poor decisions that turn into an unpleasant experience or accident. And no matter how shallow, calm, or clear the water is, ALWAYS ensure your children are supervised.