by Tim O'Dell

Created on: September 12, 2007   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

I consider myself lucky, very lucky. My first taste of Florida, America even, was along the Gulf Coast, around Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda and Cape Coral. The deep blue waters of the Atlantic, teeming with Dolphins, begged to be swam in like an exotic elixir that could cure all ills. A two day trip to Key West found us driving over the Keys Highway, looking onto a picture-book scene of turquoise water, dotted with sandbanks under the canopy of a spotless azure sky. The sound of the sea lapping against the bridge supports and the ululating cries of the gulls above made me want to just stop and sink into this Sirens haven, never to leave again.

However, one of the most outstanding voyages on that fourteen day revelation of all the sunshine state can offer was on a private boat, hired for the day, discovering the gems interspersed along the intracoastal waterway around Placida Harbour, Bird Key and Little Gasparilla Island. Apart from these waters being a safe refuge for Manatees, which are so endangered by the presence of powerboats along this coast, the highlight of the excursion was a stop at Don Pedro Island. A pristine white beach and some of the clearest waters I have ever seen, Mediterranean and Caribbean islands included, greeted us after a brief walk from the mooring site. My niece, ten at the time, was ecstatic at the carpet of shells that stretched the whole length of the virtually empty beach. She went off to find sand-dollars while the rest of us prepared to taste these enchanting waters.

Don Pedro Island stretches for about three and a half miles along the Mexican Gulf near Englewood. It is only accessible by small boats as the shallow waters and narrow lagoons in the area prevent anything larger than private vessels from entering. There is no road to the mainland so this small idyll remains unspoilt. Our time there was short, just a few hours, but made completely unforgettable by the chance display of a school of rays that swam past our feet in the crystal channel that we stood in, the water no more than knee high but appearing shallower due to the deflection of light off the gleaming sand underneath.

For anyone fortunate enough to live in that part of the country, or with a desire to see it, I can highly recommend this outstanding example of the beauty and majesty of nature in this incredible state. There are many places on the Florida Gulf Coast that can make one stand and cry with awe and the variety of God's creation but Don Pedro Island, to me, is the essence of paradise and needs to be added to the list of places you must see before you die.

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