Chastain Beach, Stuart, FL – ICW

On this gorgeous Summer day at Chastain Beach, we opted to begin with a paddle along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) due to the high tide and exceptionally clear waters.

Shortly after launching, we glided across the shallows, passing over clusters of young shovel-head sharks, a few Spotted Eagle Rays, Stingrays trying to hide, and a fairly large Nurse Shark.

But throughout this area were sprawling fields of dinner-plate-sized Aurelia aurita jellyfish ushered in by the currents of a rising tide.

Paddling onwards to Boy-Scout Island, we cooled off the in turquoise waters and powder white sands, surrounded by small bait fish who couldn’t wait to be filmed. A shipwrecked tree truck served as an aquarium of tropicals fish a curious manatee came by to greet us.

We did portage the boards up to the ocean, but by that time my GoPro had run out of battery.