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It is inevitable that everyone who visits Marco Island will eventually venture past the sugar white shores to experience its number one attraction, the water. Actually, you could spend an entire Marco Island vacation on or in the aqua blue water of the Gulf of Mexico. Whether it is scuba diving and windsurfing for the adventuresome or a guided boat tour for those who would rather sit back and have someone else take the wheel, the opportunities are endless.

Personally, I like the relatively effortless choice of cruising while someone else is steering. If that suits your taste, there is a plethora of guided excursions available on San Marco Island, Florida. From luxurious yachts that take you where the dolphins play, backwater eco-tours on a pontoon boat, or fishing excursions for the experienced and not so experienced anglers, you can't go wrong when you book any one of these tours.

The guided fishing tours very often take you into the scenic backwaters of the 10,000 Island and the Everglades National Park. In these backwaters, you will be fishing for redfish, trout and snapper on bays, channels and mangrove islands. You don't have to be an expert fisherman to enjoy the excitement of the catch or to watch the beautiful scenery as it passes by. To top it off, you don't have to fear coming home empty handed. Those boat captains know where to find the fish. They will even clean and package your bounty for the trip home.

When you think water, and fish isn't the first thing that comes to mind, I highly recommend a cruise on one of the more luxurious, large, and air-conditioned yachts. These guided, narrated tours will inform you of the history of Marco Island while the dolphins delight as they play in the wake of the boat. With sunset dinner buffets and stops on any of the uninhabited and unspoiled white sand beaches for some of the best shelling in the world, the luxury cruise has something for everyone.

If eco-touring is more to your liking, charter a smaller boat for your party and sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of the sub-tropical coastal Everglades. The shallow waters that surround the mangrove, 10,000 Islands, is home to more birds, trees, fish and marine mammals than you can imagine, with the most popular being the bottle-nosed dolphin and the manatee. Both of these intelligent creatures are often as curious about us as we are about them. They spend much of their time in shallow water, the same water you are floating on, to socialize and hunt. Give them the respect they deserve and they just might come to the edge of the boat for a quick hello.

Many regard this unique area as Florida's "Last Paradise" and believe that the beauty of Southwest Florida is best seen on the water. Bring your camera, a laid-back attitude and know that if it is fun and on the water, you will find it all on Marco, Island.

Learn more about this author, Kate Kennedy.
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