Perfect Paddles Recommendation: A SUP Excursion! Take an extended tour through the beautiful west coast Florida waters.
Signature Service: Tours
Environment: Bay/Beach
Best Time to Visit: The winter months to avoid excessive heat- October to March. Pro-Tip: visit at the end of the season to avoid large crowds! Instead of December, a visit in September/October or March is the best time to go to avoid the tourist seasons.
Distance from Airport: 33-minute drive from Tampa International Airport
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In 1972 Ron & Sara Henkel moved from the Chicago area and settled on Clearwater Beach with their 3 young sons Todd, Mike, and Ron Jr. Growing up on Clearwater Beach in the 70's, and 80's, it was the norm to run around shirtless, barefooted and with not a care in the world!

The 3 brothers explored the nearby beaches and waterways, all the while innocently not realizing what a special place they grew up in.

Watersports has always been a big part of growing up in and around the Gulf beaches and the very special Intracoastal Waterway (ICW)! The ICW is a navigational highway so to speak. The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) runs parallel to the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts from New Jersey to Texas at the Mexican border. Aids to navigation marking these waterways are with channel markers. The ICW portion of the Suncoast runs right up from the mouth of Tampa Bay north along the "water between the mainland and barrier islands" of the suncoast. Boca Ciega Bay, The Narrows, Clearwater Harbor and St Joesph Sound are part of this amazing system!

Paddlers can appreciate this system as it provides safe paddling areas mostly away from boaters who utilize the ICW. SUP'rs and Kayakers can often find some of the most amazing areas due in part outside the channels, which create sand bars and island beaches to enjoy.