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USCG Master Captain John Cookman was recently nominated for the Elaine McLaughlin Outstanding Hospitality Service Award (E Award) which recognizes businesses and people who have excelled at hospitality and customer service! It was a great honor to have been nominated! We love what we do! We love Lee County and southwest Florida! We especially love…

Hello! I’d like to mention to our teachers out there, from home schooling to public and private entities and beyond… if you are looking for a fun way to take the classroom outside and onto the Caloosahatchee River, then we’d like to work with you to make it happen. Both Captain John and I are Florida Master Naturalists and we enjoy sharing the history of this area along with the flora and fauna. Consider brining your group out with us! If you’d like more information, please contact us either by calling (239) 693-1434 or send an email to [email protected] and we will be happy to work with you. Participation is limited to a minimum of 6 with a maximum of 24. -Kathy

  September 28, 2022 will be a date that southwest Florida will never forget.  That is that date that Hurricane Ian struck our area.  It devastated Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, and many areas of Lee County, Florida.  Including homes and businesses along the Caloosahatchee River (which is were we reside as well as where our tour…

Let me share a few facts about the River Queen II: She is equipped with loading ramps on both port (left) and starboard (right) sides of the vessel making it wheelchair accessible. There is a flushing toilet (head) and a sink with running water.  Instead of the enclosure (bathroom) sticking up and blocking the view…

Manatee Movement – River Queen II Manatees on side imaging sonar! What a nice experience today (1/15/2022) on the Orange River in Fort Myers, Florida!  It was a beautiful sunny morning and the manatees are on the move into the warmer waters.  As you can see in the picture manatees are to the side of…

River Queen II RIVER QUEEN II Hello everyone!  We are eager to be back on the water, hopefully mid to late December 2021.  We sold the River Queen and commissioned a new build of the River Queen II pictured above.  Now more than ever we feel the need to educate the public about the manatee…

We are looking forward to returning to the water on Monday – January 4, 2021 for a 9:00 a.m. Manatee Tour! With 2020 rapidly coming to a close, we are eager to get back on the water to share fantastic opportunities to learn more about the Florida Manatee!  It has been a difficult time for everyone and as you know, we stopped running tours in March, 2020 and just recently took the River Queen out for the 4th annual Christmas Boat Parade sponsored by Sweetwater Landing Marina.  We are planning to limit the boat capacity to 20 passengers and 2 crew at this time, allowing adequate space for social distancing.  (The vessel is permitted to carry 42 passengers and 2 crew) On chilly mornings, we have blankets available to borrow and after every trip, they will be washed/sanitized prior to…

It is odd not being on the Caloosahatchee River providing tours.  Our last outing was on March 7, 2020 just prior to the “shelter in place” and “social distancing” orders…. and although the restrictions are starting to be loosened, we are staying closed to business for now.  If you want to communicate with us, please send an email to [email protected] as we are not monitoring the telephone at this time. We hope to be available for tours soon.  It is doubtful however, that this will happen before July 1, 2020. Stay safe!

  Just as a Great Egret waits patiently for it’s feast…  we have had to work on our patience this summer! The River Queen goes through an annual evaluation with the U.S. Coast Guard and we passed with flying colors.  On a routine basis, one of those inspections requires the boat be hauled out of…

Calusa Waterkeeper shines positive light on region’s top asset with a week-long celebration and clean-up of our waterways Southwest Florida’s water is worth fighting for — and celebrating. So, leading non-profit clean water advocacy group, Calusa Waterkeeper, has created The Big Calusa, a family-friendly, recreational, educational and cultural week-long festival and clean-up to reconnect our community in a positive way with all we love about our waterways. “All year long, we at Calusa Waterkeeper find ourselves talking about the catastrophic harm we have suffered due to red tide and blue-green algae: fish and marine life dying by the millions, citizens at higher risk of illness, significant economic damage and on and on,” Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani said. “Now it’s time to remind everyone why our water is so special.” The Big Calusa began on Earth Day, Monday, April 22, with…

A special THANK YOU to Danika J. Hopper for the article she wrote for the Caloosa Belle. https://caloosabelle.com/human-interest/cruising-along-the-caloosahatchee/

Manatee viewing within the Orange River and in and around the Caloosahatchee River is “typically” best between December and March.  Did you know it is weather-dependent?  Yes, that is true.  As the Gulf of Mexico waters cool below 68 degrees Fahrenheit, the manatee will migrate to warmer waters.  In Lee County, Florida, that means the…