Garden Island kayaking 18th October 2017

We have talked about kayaking in the mangroves in this area and heard it was good, but have never done it.
We had been given a voucher by a friend last Christmas which we had not used, and saw that this activity could be subsidized with the voucher so decided to do it.

Adventure Kayaking SA are the only commercial group allowed in this area. We started the tour at 1000, so had to be out at the Garden Island boat ramp before then. After a number of traffic snarls on the way across town we managed it with about four minutes to spare. (A bit close for comfort when you are not really sure where you are going). There are basic toilet facilities at the boat ramp which were open for use.

Phil (the guide) was already unloading kayaks for our group when we arrived.  You could opt for self guided or guided tour and also single or double kayak.
We opted for guided (Why not make use of an expert to add to the experience? ) along with three other couples.
Apparently you can also hire a hobie canoe like the one Phil was using for a bit more (they pedal as well as paddle).  You can see the pedals in this picture,and he has his arm resting on the wheels, which travel with it.

Phil is an ex-teacher, having turned his PE/outdoor ed knowledge from hobby to small business, and now employs a team of others to assist him with the business. After many years he has had both shoulders operated on, and protects them where he can, by using the pedal canoe. It can really move along.

The day was quite hot with a strong north wind blowing, with the possibility of dropping later, so, once we completed the briefings, set up our kayaks and got them into the water (using a mat at the bottom of the boat ramp so you didn't even have to get your feet wet) we headed west using the shelter of the mangroves. 

Even the old Torrens Island power stations looked great from the water. 

Phil seems to be very mindful of using both wind and tide to best advantage to make it easy for his paddlers. He certainly worked it out well this day.

We hadn't gone far at all before we sighted our first dolphin.  There is a group of about 40 in this area, and apparently it is very rare not to see them on these tours.  The dolphins are protected.  You are not allowed to paddle to closer than 50 metres of them, but sometimes they decide to come and check you out, and you get lucky, as we did later on this trip.

Garden Island is also a sanctuary for birds.  This one was sporting an interesting hairstyle.

The mud flats are also a sanctuary for birds, who stop off on their migratory paths.

After practicing stopping suddenly, and turning in one spot, Phil decided that we were up to a little close manouvering, and took us into a mangrove creek, where the water was clear and shallow enough to see the fingerling fish, just newly hatched, and the larger fish and crabs going about their business.  On quite a warm day, the shade of the mangroves hanging out over the creek was beautiful, and the tide and wind were left behind, meaning that we could just relax in the kayak and enjoy the moments of tranquility.

When we emerged from the mangroves the wind had dropped, so the paddle around to the ships graveyard under the power lines was much easier than it might have been.

The hulk of the old Santiago (one of the first iron ships, built in 1856 in Liverpool) is one of many which were discarded in this area.  We were able to paddle up to it (after a brief stop to watch a mum and baby dolphin who cruised by)  and see the flaking rusty iron, and the clear green water inside the iron surrounds.

Thanks Phil for this and the next photo.

Then we allowed ourselves to be swept back with the current, retracing our track towards the boat ramp.

We stopped to admire the power lines silhouetted against the beautiful sky.

Not long afterwards there was a loud "smack" . Turning to see what the noise was, there was a motionless duck on the water. It must have flown into the power line and knocked itself unconscious. I've never seen that happen before. Phil paddled over, picked up the lifeless body, and placed it on the mangrove lined shore. The tide will be high enough in an hour to float the duck. Maybe he will be up to a swim by then.

Speaking of swimming, what should come back around and under our kayak, but a pod of 5 dolphins, who must have been checking us out. This was the biggest group we saw together today and they were happy to hang around a little near us and give us a really good chance to look at them,  before heading off again.

Thanks to "findingtheamazing" who were also in our group and uploaded this much better picture of the dolphin group near us.

Despite the fact that it was well after 1300 (our planned finish time), Phil was not in rush, and we casually paddled back to the boat ramp. 

It was an extraordinary experience,and a real treat.  Something we might never have splurged on if it wasn't for the voucher.  It really made us think again that owning a kayak would be a great thing. Must investigate this option further. In the meantime maybe we should take up the offers we have to borrow from friends and family.  It's a lovely way to spend some time.

The Birkenhead Tavern was a great choice to sit, and relax over a late lunch and a cider after the morning activity.  We sat and watched the tugs and the activity on the water nearby, and people watched from the deck.

We would recommend Phil's  Adventure Kayaking SA as a tour.  He was a really interesting guide and made sure we were all safe and knew all the basics of paddling. We thought taking the guided tour option was worth the slight increase in cost. They do school and corporate groups as well, and go sea kayaking down South as well as out at St Kilda.