Manatees/sunset/bioluminescence Kayak Tour

My grandmother and I have been wanting to do a bioluminescence kayaking tour for YEARS, but I could never get the timing quite right since I live in Oklahoma and only get to visit her in Florida occasionally. I finally bit the bullet and booked this trip for her birthday, and I am SO glad I did! First of all, kayaking is just plain fun. There’s something so cool about actually being out on the water, paddling through Florida’s natural environment instead of just looking at it from the shore. My grandmother is 74, so I let her ride up front in the “princess seat” while I did most of the work 😂 — but honestly, I didn’t even have to paddle as hard as I expected! The weather was absolutely perfect, and the bioluminescence was INCREDIBLE. We got to see the bioluminescent dinoflagellates (Pyrodinium bahamense) SO CLEARLY. Every paddle stroke made the water glitter and glow around our kayaks. I absolutely loved the “fire water” effect! We even got to see—and catch—a few bioluminescent comb jellies, which was SO cool. Michael was an awesome guide and gave us so many interesting specifics about the plankton, wildlife, and ecosystem. I’ll admit, some of the science went a little over my head 😂, but it was genuinely fascinating and made the experience so much more meaningful. I loved learning what we were actually seeing instead of just being taken out on the water. And the wildlife!! We saw dolphins in the dark, pretty sure we accidentally ran over a couple of sharks 😂, and got to see some shy manatees. There were SO many birds—ospreys, herons, pelicans, and even night herons! We didn’t come across any gators, which I was perfectly happy about. 😂 And somehow, we basically had the entire waterway to ourselves. There was nobody else on our tour, so it felt like we had a private experience out there, which was absolutely wonderful. There were some bugs, but honestly nothing terrible. We just used a little bug repellant and did fine. I would recommend bringing your own water and wearing long sleeves and pants just to be comfortable. But expect to get very wet! That’s just kayaking! What I especially loved about this experience is that it felt like REAL FLORIDA. We were out in nature, surrounded by wildlife, paddling through the Florida waterways and experiencing something you simply can’t replicate at a theme park. Don’t get me wrong—I love a good theme park, but if you’re visiting Florida, make time to get out and experience the Florida that exists beyond the parks. These are the kinds of experiences you actually remember. And I really loved supporting A Day Away Kayak Tours as a small, privately owned business. You can tell that this is something they genuinely care about, rather than just another big tourist operation trying to get people through the door. My grandmother had the BEST time, and getting to finally do something we’d talked about doing for years together made this such a special birthday memory. If you’re considering doing a bioluminescence tour, DO IT. Go kayaking. Get out on the water. See the “fire water.” Experience the wildlife. Experience the REAL Florida. And definitely give this small business some love while you’re at it. We had an absolutely fantastic time!

Cody was our guide and he was absolutely amazing! He was so knowledgeable and made us feel safe with our surroundings! I would highly recommend this to anyone!!

The first day we arrived and within 2 minutes of having our paddles handed out at the briefing, thunder rumbled. Our trip ended up cancelled due to inclement weather in the area as it needed to be 5 miles out before we could launch. The storm came in really quickly from a very beautiful hot sunny day with no clouds to suddenly dark clouds and thunder which just hung around the area not budging. We had the option of staying around which we did but gave up after 2 hours of waiting which was eating into our kayaking time. Our guide Dylan was great at keeping us informed and wasn't pushing us either way, it was our choice to call it. It's a shame we didn't get to go out with him. With our raincheck, the rebooking process was a quick call the next day to the office and we were booked for the following night. We were a family of four with two teens. We made our way to the launch site wondering if we'd get to go and if not we'd have to properly raincheck until next year but all was well and we got onto the water in good time.. This time our guide was Matthew with Anthony as our sweep. We've done kayaking previously in Brevard County on various water bodies, but this was the first time we had a sweep which was comforting to know.. also Anthony was very funny with some crazy anecdotes.. All round we had a great experience. We appreciated the small group as there was another operator in the area with loads of customers which seemed to dilute the experience plus they had a very shouty and crude guide.. Matthew cleverly kept us away from the big group so the experience felt like more of an adventure than a tourist hotspot. We saw dolphins, tons of manatees, the red eyes of a gator and best of all the biolouminiscene. We managed to get the moon as a Waning Cresent (the day before a new moon) so it was really dark.. perfect conditions for bioluminiscene.. . Matthew took is beyond the federal rookery and gave us a science lesson on the dinoflagellates, asking questions for all ages and answering a bombardment of questions by a young girl. As a marine zoologist by trade, the pitch of the science was great for all ages so it was nice for my boys to hear the science from someone other than me! The glow in the water was spectacular and something quite magical. The expedition gave us a good work out and when I say we got to see lots of wildlife, we did, but they only thing I didn't see were the mozzies and no see ums. I've always been immune to mosquitoes but this trip I was devoured by them, as were two others in our family, yet we'd all used different insect repellent with 50% Deet and had insect repellent bands on our arms and legs and long sleeves tops on which they managed to bite through. The remaining member of our family who happened to be at the front of my tandem kayak got one bite on his ear... They were obviously too busy eating me to bother with him! As we moved through the mangroves after sunset and then into open water we were under attack. As I say I've never been a favourite of mozzies even on previous mangrove encounters in kayaks but this clearly was their day to feast on me. It didn't spoil the trip as I was busy paddling out looking for wildlife or making the bioluminiscene glow. The only negative is I wished we'd been able to paddle out to the rookery before sunset and see as many birds as possible before it got dark. The distraction by Matthew, as mentioned earlier, was to keep us away from the big group of customers with the other operator and I appreciate every trip is different, but my only wish next time would be daylight hours at the federal rookery island. We can't thank the guides enough and recommend this trip as a great experience for all ages. We will go back and perhaps try a different tour but certainly glad we booked with A Day Away.

To start with this is the first time I've ever felt compelled to write a review on trip advisor, it was just that incredible. We booked the tour the day before we went and were really lucky it was just our family on the tour. We were nervous driving the 90mins to the launch site from our villa as there was a large storm, we met the tour guide at the launch site and there was still lightening close by, but rather than just cancelling he gave us some time to see if it would pass and it did. Our tour Guide was Ashton who was enthusiastic and very knowledgeable. He was also super patient with our novice group and with both our teenagers asking constant questions. We launched in the rain which was actually very fun. Our guide pointed out so much wildlife and gave such amazing commentary on what we were seeing and making sure we didnt miss anything. The tour was very respectful of the wildlife and was timed very well. We were never rushed. The sunset was incredible and blew us away, bird island was beautiful and we saw manatees, crabs, mullets, shrimp, tarpon and so many species of birds. Then when it got dark the Bioluminescence was incredible and our photos will never do it justice! I will remember this trip forever and it has been my most favourite thing we've done while in Florida and we've been talking about it all day today My only regret is that I assumed the tour guide would have an app or QR code to tip at the end and they don't, definitely something they should look in to as we did not have cash in our car. The instructions to follow to the launch site were really clear and it was easy to find. Cost wise this trip is very reasonable and when we return to Florida this will be top of my list of things to book. Q

We had an absolutely AMAZING experience on our eco kayak tour on the Mosquito River in Titusville! 🌿🦋🌊 Our guide, Ricky, was fantastic! He was knowledgeable, friendly, and made the entire 3-hour adventure so much fun. We saw SO much wildlife—dolphins, alligators, horseshoe crabs, stingrays, tons of manatees, and more birds than I could possibly name! 🐬🐊🐢🦅 But the real magic happened after dark! ✨ The bioluminescence in the water was absolutely breathtaking. Watching the water light up around our kayaks was an experience I will never forget. We even got to see comb jellies and blue crabs! This tour was so much more than just kayaking—it was an incredible opportunity to experience Florida’s natural beauty up close, and Ricky made it even more memorable. If you’re anywhere near Titusville, DO THIS TOUR! You won’t regret it. We would absolutely do it again! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I did the tour with Zoe, Logan, and James. They were the absolute best, very kind and knowledgeable and made sure to keep our party safe and entertained. Zoe would catch fish and let us handle them. The bioluminescence was also wonderful the location had very shallow water and it was really quite warm despite visiting at night. We saw dolphins and swarms of fish. Logan even pointed out shooting stars. This tour makes for a great experience with family or friends and would highly recommend as it is absolutely worth the money.

This was an amazing experience led by Zoe the tour guide alongside James and Logan. The kayaking was very fun to do with friends, and the bioluminescence was incredible. The starry night was also beautiful to gaze at. It is well worth the price. Zoe was a great tour guide and was very knowledgeable, and in the entire experience I felt safe and secure in their hands. If you go, make sure to bring a change of clothes as you will get wet after.

Zoe, James, and Logan were great guides, super friendly and informative. All of us had an amazing time and it was such a beautiful experience! Highly recommended!

I truly wish I could rate this experience 10 stars. Our group of 8 was in the AMAZING and capable hands of tour guides Zoe, Logan and James, who not only exercised incredible amounts of patience with our clumsy selves, but also made this such a once in a lifetime fun learning experience. Along the way we saw dolphins, schools of jumping fish, a manta ray, and we got to check out two fish that jumped into our boats! I even spoke to Zoe about a birthday in the group, and she was immediately in on it and spoke to everyone else to surprise sing out in the ocean while we were watching the stars! She also had us stop at different places to teach us about what we were seeing in our surroundings. The guides were also quite flexible with us, both before and after going in the water. They offered to store our belongings on land, shared bug spray, and always encouraged we have fun out in the water, of course with consideration of the safety conversion we had before! The price is well worth it for 2 hours, and prepare for your clothing to get drenched! Thank you!

Fantastic tour with Ashton (tour guide) last night! The manatees and dolphins were putting on a show last night and the bioluminescence was stunning. The paddling was pretty easy and well worth it. If you like birds, then this is also the tour for you. If you are thinking about it, just go! It is well worth it.

My family and I took a tour starting at 8:30pm end of July while on vacation! It was very fun and amazing to see the glowing water! The tour guides (Jared, Evee and Anthony) were all great and very informative and friendly! Sticking your hand into the water and seeing your hand glow and the water glow made us feel like Moana hahaha. Deff worth the experience. Only downfall was the bugs, even with bug spray we got lots of bug bites!!!

Our experience was amazing. Tessa did an amazing job showing us different locations to see manatees and the bioluminescence of the water was absolutely incredible the night we went. It was a beautiful evening and the bugs weren’t that bad. Thank you Tessa for your history of the area and the amazing tour and that was quite the rodeo you had!

Ashton was a huge part of why our experience went so well! He was knowledgeable, professionally fun, and was three steps ahead at all times for our safety. He takes a real interest in his job and it shows! I would recommend this company to get the change of meeting Ashton and to see the amazing bioluminescence!

I have never kayaked in my life so I was a bit nervous in the beginning but I wanted to say how our guides, Sammi, Coyote and Kay made us feel safe while we kayaked with the group. The experience was amazing and I’m glad I got to do it.

The manatees were awesome. Some within inches from the kayak. Bird island was amazing to see all the birds but could not get close to the island due to being a reserve. The bioluminescence’s beauty was worth it! Be prepared to padel as we had some wind and was tiring some for those of us that were not used to paddling a lot but can go at a slower pace if needed. Ashton was a great guide and was helpful with knowledge of birds and wildlife and the surroundings. Very worth it!

Really really great experience. We saw manatees, dolphins, flamingos, fish jumping out of the water, bioluminescence, the sunset and loads of cool birds. Was not strenuous, was not too buggy (if you use blue spray), was just really awesome. Because it’s in the evening it wasn’t crazy Florida hot either. Thanks Tessa and Jackson! They are awesome!

This was an amazing experience and Ben was a great tour guide. He was very knowledgeable, friendly, and warm to our party. We had a great time the scenery is breathtaking. A bucket list item for sure. It's very likely we will do this again.

Zoey was a great tour guide. Knowledgeable, friendly and interactive.

Awesome time and beautiful scenery. The wildlife was abundant and there were tons of mantees and different birds to see. The bioluminescence for the later part of the tour was really cool to experience. The tour guide was friendly and very knowledgeable, he made the experience a lot of fun. I booked the longer combo tour to be able to see and experience all the things in the area, the sunset view from the water was the perfect transition from the day time wildlife to the after dark experience.

The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is a unique environment to kayak in. Our guide was knowledgeable about wildlife both great (manatees) and small (bioluminescent life) and many things in between. Although evening is not the ideal time for Manatees we encountered a few. Zoe worked hard to give us the best experience with bioluminescence. It was amazing!!! On our way back to the launch point we saw dolphins and a small alligator. Thank you A Day Away and Zoe for a very enriching experience.

Fun experience for everyone in my family. We saw bioluminescent jellyfish, spent a half an hour with a group of manatees floating near our kayaks, and saw a rocket launch from Kennedy space center. The guide was very personable

I love a day away kayak tours. This is the third time that I have gone on a tour with them. Zoe and Ryan,our tour guides were wonderful. We were fortunate to be with a really wonderful group of people. This is a must do when visiting Florida!

My husband and I did the 3 hour mondo combo tour with Jorge and had an incredible experience. We probably kayak once/year and are not super experienced, but had no issues doing this longer tour experience. It was well worth it. The kayak launches from a wildlife refuge area where you paddle through a canal to see manatees. We got an amazing look at them. Next, you paddle out onto Indian River to Bird Island. This was the only local tour I could find that goes to this area. As avid birders, this was incredible. We saw flamingos, roseate spoonbills, white pelicans among others. We watched the gorgeous sunset before heading back to the canal to see the bioluminescent jellyfish. We also saw 2 gators during our experience! Jorge was super knowledgeable, friendly and catered to individuals' interests on the tour. Once the sun sets, the bugs are really bad, but Jorge brought along extra bug spray so we could spray ourselves again. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for an adventure and wanting to experience outdoor Florida!

I was able to get a Groupon so we booked this and it did not disappoint! Our tour guide, Zoey was amazing with the knowledge of the area, the animals, the comfort level, and overall experience! We hung out with the manatees, did see a couple alligators and kept safe distance and gained knowledge in that regard. Amazing sunset and saw the flamingoes and many bird species! A osprey nest near the launch area! Stingray in the water at the shore! Some horseshoe crab, blue crab! And the bioluminescence was an amazing experience! I wish you could pick up on camera better how amazing it was! Bugs and the fish were not bad but bug spray is recommended. Only had an issue with mosquitos once we got to shore. We lucked out in that there were a few porta-potty’s near the launch area. Great experience! Now we want to bring our kids down to experience the magic as well! Thank you, Zoey, for an amazing time!

Wonderful evening kayaking. Jorge and Ben were great guides. Jorge learned everyones name in first 20 min and was super attentive to make sure everyone had a great time. He even took pictures and sent them out to everyone after free of charge. Trip was not rushed which we have experienced before on some kayak trips. Bioluminescent part was definitely highlight. Be prepared for a lot of kayaking. Very enjoyable would recommend to others!

We have had the bioluminescence tour on our to-do list for a few years now and were so happy to finally be doing it. We chose the Mondo Combo tour that included manatees, a paddle out to Bird Island and the bioluminescence experience. The tour was from 6pm - 9pm but we didn't get done until around 10pm. That might have been because we were the only three who brought their own, one-person kayaks that are not sea-going and it took us longer to get from point A to point B. Also, the weather was windy and somewhat threatening rain and it seemed like no matter what direction we were paddling, we were fighting the current, wind and waves, except while in the canal. It was a good workout and so worth it. Jorge and Ben make such a great team and we were so lucky to have them as out guides. They are both super nice and very knowledgeable about the area and the wildlife in it. Both of them were super helpful and always offering assistance. Ben even helped us straighten out an unruly kayak strap. When the tour description tells you to bring dry clothes, take that advice! The bugs were not as bad as they could have been due to the wind and the time of year so we got lucky there. Also, if you do bring your own kayaks, bring a torch or lantern for loading up after the bio tour. There are no artificial lights out there. Would we do it again? Tell us when and we're there!

This was such an awesome experience! We loved all parts of the excursion and were so glad we booked the 3 hour tour. It was incredible to see so many native animals in their natural habitat. This is not to be missed!!

Guides are really informative and friendly. The wildlife and the sunset was amazing. Highly recommended!

We signed up for the mondo combo tour. 2 adults and 2 kids. We ended up being the only people on the tour, so it was a private guided tour and we saw manatees, lots of different birds, alligators, the sunset by Bird Island, and then after dark our patient was rewarded with seeing the comb jellies light up! Three hours seems like a long time, but it was a relaxed, kayak tour and our guide. David was really great! He was knowledgeable and very friendly

We had the most incredible bioluminescence kayak tour with the glowing comb jellies lighting up the water magically, plus we saw manatees and dolphins up close! Our guide Jackson was knowledgeable, fun & patient. Highly recommend the combo, you will want to see it all in the daytime before it gets dark.

Great tour! Jorge was a knowledgeable and fun guide that kept us engaged with his passion for and about Florida’s eco system!! We had a great time with lots of manatee dolphins and comb jelly’s to see. Thank you for a great experience!!

Every time I saw my 17 y.o. son smile or heard my (almost!) 15 y.o. daughter say “ohhhhh,” I knew I was right to sign us up for this “mondo combo” tour (not listed on Trip Advisor) where we REALLY saw 2 dolphins, 2 manatees, so many birds & types, the sunset, comb jellyfish, and stars that light pollution spares you. Even if you have less light pollution than many, you’ve got nothing on this pocket of the world right here in Florida! Jorge is a brilliant and enthusiastic guide (patient too) who taught us as much as time would allow about everything from water to sky. Kayaking alone is a treat for me, but we love animals and nature and were blown away. None of us had ever seen a dolphin out and about, and the whole tour was special for all of us. Notes for Floridians of a certain age or body fat or circulation: we all needed a hot bath after, but I think my feet and hands needed a little more TLC. But that’s just good planning on everyone’s part now. I read the instructions several times, and insist you bring a dry change of clothes in your vehicle. (I also had a towel to sit on until we got to the Cumberland Farms.) We loved it! I’m waiting on the teens to wake. They will definitely thank me again AND ask to go on another tour. Worth every penny and wonderful with your favorite people. You might leave with a renewed sense of wonder, curiosity, or adventure.

This was the most amazing experience ever. The tour guide was wonderful and knowledgeable. It was beautiful. The manatee dolphins sunset and bioluminescence was all just so amazing. My husband and dad got caught in some startled manatee. My husband called it a manatee rodeo and said it was so cool. The bioluminescence was like magical glitter. I would take a trip down to Florida over and over just to have this experience again.

The guide was excellent and she went above and beyond to get the group to the right place after we got lost. While the tour guide and plan were awesome, by the time the group was able to go on the water it was getting dark so we could only see the bioluminescence and not the manatees, who’d given up waiting on us and had gone to sleep. Also, being Florida, it poured rain. Definitely a core memory. Just a little different than we’d anticipated.

We chose this tour because we love natural Florida (and had never done bioluminescence before) and the reviews seemed that this was the company to go with. It really could not have gone any better! Even though it was not peak season, we saw loads of comb jellies and dinoflagellates. Manatees were also out in abundance, coming right up to our kayaks and hanging out with us. Jackson was our tour guide and was very relaxed with us, answering all of our (many) questions and made us feel at home on the water (just like he was). Noone else signed up for our time slot so it was effectively a private tour. When we observed some of the other tours out on the water, we were really glad to have chosen this one and also to have had Jackson as our guide.

We had a wonderful experience on the Mondo Combo tour! The bioluminescence was beautiful! Jackson, our guide was knowledgeable and so much fun! He helped our boys catch comb jellies. The manatees were a highlight! We also saw dolphins and so many species of birds!

Great time out with Jackson and John! Weather was nice but a distant storm cell blocked the sunset. The manatees were cool to watch and the bioluminescent water after dark was fantastic! The Milky Way was visible and you could see satellites scoot across the starfield. Bring mosquito spray!

We absolutely loved the experience, Enjoy raw nature at its best Jorge was a very nice guide, even helped towing us when we were tired. My cousin and I were not kayak proficient but we could do it We saw manatee, dolphin, bird island , pink flamingos, a magnificent sunset, an experienced the bioluminescence phenomena, while our background was the starry sky, and the storms in the far distance.

Jorge and Caroline were both great guides and very friendly. They were really good at spotting manatees before they would surface in the first part of the tour, and then Jorge got us a really good view of both the sunset and all the different birds living on the river. We went kayaking on the new moon, so the bioluminescence was very noticeable. Despite being pitch black, Jorge and Caroline were able to keep us all grouped together well. They also were able to answer most questions anybody had about the bioluminescence and pointed out all the constellations visible at the time.

We went on the three hour kayak tour. It was fantastic! We saw a bunch of manatees, a few dolphins, flamingos and many other birds. We watched a spectacular sunset and when it got very dark we were able to see the bioluminescence, which was amazing. Our tour guide was Ashton. He was energetic, enthusiastic and very knowledgeable. He explained many things about the area and each of the animals. I highly recommend this tour and ask for Ashton to be your guide!

Amazing experience from start to finish. Our guide, Lauren, was knowledgeable and a confident leader. We saw tons of manatee, birds, fish, crabs, dolphin and let's not forget the gators! Believe me seeing them during the day, from a distance while in a kayak is one thing...having your guide shine a light on a 10 ft gator swimming alongside your kayak so you know to navigate to the other side of the canal is something you never forget! After dark there were hundreds of fish jumping all around us and we hoped they wouldn't land in the boats! And let's not forget the reason we signed up..the bioluminescent water. It starts slow as the sun goes down and by the time you make it back the blue coming off you paddle and in the wake of your boat is just beautiful. I cannot recommend this trip more.

Brandi skillfully guided us to the best places to view mother nature at her most beautiful. She knows where the manatees romp and where the dolphins play. Endless birds! The bioluminescence was astounding. Paddling my solo kayak was a breeze. I'm not that fit, but we had lots of time to rest and see the sights. It was serene, gorgeous and I got more than I bargained for in the best ways. Look on YouTube for "Manatee bumps Kayak" to see a key moment in our trip!

Lauren was awesome. Saw tons of manatees, dolphins, and fish. Lots of birds too. Weather didn’t cooperate for the sunset, and bugs were a killer. Make sure you pack bug spray!

My daughter and I came in celebration of her 29th birthday. Eli & John were great guides. They were very knowledgeable and kept it interesting. We had a great time and really enjoyed the night time views of the sky & moon and of course the bioluminescence in the water. The manatee and dolphins were active around us too! I would recommend the tour whether you have kayak experience or not.

I did the Mondo Combo package this past Saturday and had an amazing time! My tour guide Jorge along with Ashton were extremely well informed about all the wildlife and gave really interesting tidbits about Floridas environment and wildlife. My favorite part of the tour was when we got to see Bird Island which was an extremely cool experience. The bioluminescence was also so surreal and Jorge gave a great first intro to it as we saw it progressively getting lighter in the water. Would go again!

Drew was a great guide for our sunset bioluminescent tour. We weren't able to see the sunset due to clouds but the bioluminescent activity was visible. It was our son's first time and we're so glad he got to experience it. He was scared to be out on the waters when it got dark but Drew reassured him everything would be ok with in his calm demeanor. Drew mentioned in advance that we may find ourselves with a manatee under our kayak and we certainly did as soon as we started pulling off shore. That was one of the highlights as we got to experience it without capsizing! He also taught us about the phytoplankton in the lagoon and different species of birds we encountered on Bird Island. All in all, a very enjoyable tour and would recommend it

Eli, Josh, and Stephanie were fantastic! Would do it again. Already recommended to several people! Another notch off my bucket list!!

Excellent tour and guides. Perfect family outting. Bioluminescence tour was a bucket-list type experience. Was the highlight of our trip to florida.

This was our favorite tour that we did while visiting Florida. Our group had one too many people. She was able to contact a manager for approval and had us scheduled in less then an hour. We had 2 adults and 4 children 7-15 years old. They absolutely loved every minute of it. The two guides were very knowledgeable with the surrounding area, habitat, and informative with neat tricks to see the bioluminescent plankton. They were kind, helpful, easy to talk with, and our safety was their priority. My 8 year old had lots of questions and he answered my son every time with the utmost respect. My son and I had two manatees swim along side us. A memory I will never forget. I will definitely return! Thank you for a memorable family outing.