Whenever I travel I like to plan a couple excursions because I can only sit on a beach chair in the sunshine for so long (haha) and I try to find options that venture off the beaten path. As I was searching Tripadvisor and Airbnb experiences I came across Coldwater Excursions. They offer guided eco-adventures near Destin Florida.
The company offers kayaking, paddle boarding, and canoeing tours for customers, and they provide everything needed to enjoy the day (beach chairs, towels, drinks, lunch/snacks, sunscreen, GoPros, waterproof phone cases, all snorkeling equipment, all equipment, and underwater scooters).
The main tours they offer are:
Cypress Springs Eco Adventure
Merritts Mill Pond Adventure
They also offer ocean or nighttime excursions on occasion on a case by case basis. My family and I were originally going to go on their Cypress Springs option which offers slow moving crystal clear waters, and was once thought by Ponce de Leon to be the fountain of youth. However, there had been poor weather in the area, and the waters were cloudy so the guides recommended we go with the Merritt Mills Pond option. We met at a convenient easy to find location in Destin and hit the road.
Merritts Mill Pond is a 202 acre spring fed pond about an hour away from Destin. We arrived and had a packet lunch at the recreation area. There is a diving board and small swimming area. I watched families and children enjoying themselves, and at first I was not vibing with how cold the water was (I get a little hangry on occassion); however, after I had some food I was ready to jump in a couple times and explore. My family was already enjoying the underwater scooters and getting some badass photos taken of them by our tour guide when I first jumped in. The cold water shocked my system but I felt instantly rejuvenated.
We kayaked to a small deck in the water, we put on our snorkel gear and explored. The water at Merritts Mill Pond is crystal clear. The eel grass sways gently under the surface. I was not expecting the water to be so beautiful. You can easily see the bottom of the pond, the dark areas where the springs trickle water upward, and I was floored by the cypress trees cloaked in Spanish moss. It is a magical place to visit.
We took turns jumping off the deck into the water, and had a blast exploring the area. There were tiny fish swimming around the eel grass, birds were flying through the air, and turtles sunned themselves on logs near the water. I got a ton of eel grass stuck on my head at one point and my family had a good laugh at me!
We were able to see Blue Springs, Hole in the Wall, Shangri La Springs, and we were able to explore a couple caves too! This was by far my favorite part of the excursion. We swam into the pitch-black cave with our headlamps on. The eel grass was thick and floating on the surface of the water. It was a little freaky but so FUN! There were a few bats hanging above us, the water was dark, but it was amazing to see the cave with dates etched in the stone from people exploring one hundred plus years before!
Spending hours on the water, exploring and exercising, and seeing such beauty was good for my soul. The tour guides were amazing too! They were friendly and made the experience fun!
I discovered that the main tour guide Nick was close with my childhood best friend from my hometown. The world is truly small sometimes. If you are looking for a fun way to spend a day while near Destin or Panama City Beach I highly recommend linking up with Coldwater Excursions and enjoying nature in such a fun way!
I ended the day tired, a little sunburned, but my heart and soul were full with gratitude.
