If you're vacationing in Orlando before, you've undoubtedly already seen plastic crocs (And -- no -- I'm not talking about those easy-to-slip-on shoes. But -- rather -- those animatronic alligators that you see at the theme parks who always seem to have cute names like Old Smiley) or placid gators (You know? Those overfed amphibious reptiles at places like Gatorland & SeaWorld who move even less frequently than the animatronic alligators do). But how many of you have ever seen a really-for-real alligator? And just to be clear here: I'm not talking about one of those little nuisance gators that periodically makes its way into a backyard swimming pool and/or cruise around your condo's retention pond. I'm talking about one of those 14 to 15 foot-long behemoths that are the stuff of nightmares. Well, this time of year, Captain Jim Passmore sees alligators of this size almost every day as he takes Central Florida visitors out for an A Ultimate Airboat Tours aboard one of his eco-friendly airboats. "Here's the thing that most people don't know about alligators. They don't like it when the water temperature gets below 80 degrees," Passmore explained during a recent phone interview. "So when the temperatures start to dip during this time of year, the big gators will haul themselves out of the water and do just what the tourists do. Which is lay out in the sun, sunning themselves. They'll just lay there passed out in the sun. And thanks to how quiet the airboats we use are, we can typically get pretty close to these gators before they then slip down their floating mats and disappear down into the water." Now please note that Captain Jim used the phrase "quiet airboats." Which – to some – may sound like an oxymoron like "jumbo shrimp." But please be aware that these are not the super-loud airboats that people used to use back in the 1960s. The 6-passenger vessels that Passmore and his team use today are powered by high-performance maritime engines that are then equipped with the quietest possible propellers as well as huge stainless-steel mufflers. "When we started this tour company back in 2008, we did everything we could to make sure that our boats are quieter than the ones our competition uses. I mean, why would you want to take a tour of an area that's full of wildlife aboard a boat that's noisy?" Captain Jim snorted. And Passmore isn't kidding when he says that Shingle Creek (i.e., the small Central Florida waterway that Captain Jim operates his Marsh Landing Adventures out of) is loaded with wildlife. But that's because Shingle Creek is the northernmost headwaters of the Everglades watershed. "Most people seemed surprised when I tell them that. But there's this big ol' sign right out there on Osceola Parkway that says 'Welcome to the headwaters of the Everglades,' I mean, it has to start somewhere," Passmore continued. "And the system of canals that we take our airboats out on, they run clear from here to Fort Myers. So we've got 260 miles of waterway to explore here." And Captain Jim and his team know the Shingle Creek area really, really well. Given that most of the folks associated with Orlando Airboat Tours have been in the fishing and guiding business for over twenty years. "That's how our airboat business actually got started. I'd mention to people what I did for a living, how I take people out on an airboat and then show them the perfect spot to go fishing. And they'd then say 'Oh, I'd love to go do that someday. Take an airboat ride. Go out on the water and then see some wildlife up-close,' “Passmore stated.”And when enough people told me the exact same thing ... Well, that then started to sound like a really good business to be in. So we started five years ago with just two boats and we've been growing ever since." And what exactly can you expect to see when you go out on one of these one hour, 90 minute or two-hour Marsh Landing Adventures that Orlando Airboat Tours offers? Captain Jim is quick to caution would-be adventurers that the wildlife which is on display in the Shingle Creek area can change from hour-to-hour, let alone from day-to-day. "Look, the Everglades watershed is the largest eco-system in the continental United States. So you're always going to see something when you take one of our airboat tours. Just in the past week, all of our larger gators have been coming up out of the water. Even the smaller ones are now out laying on those mats, trying to warm up," Passmore said. "We've also got a lot of wild pigs, turkeys and deer. And Shingle Creek has a large concentration of bald eagles. Which -- I know -- most people associate these birds with the Northern states. But that's what's so great about Shingle Creek. It always surprises you, which is why it's always such a pleasure to take people out on the water and then show them all of the natural wonder that Central Florida has to offer." But given that Orlando Airboat Tours offers a wide variety of Marsh Landing Adventures, is there a particular tour that Captain Jim is partial to / might recommend for a first-time airboat rider? "From October through April, we offer a one-hour-long sunset airboat tour that is always usually pretty spectacular," Passmore admitted. "Not only are the sunsets beautiful during that time of year, but we can get our airboats in close to this large roosting area which has hundreds of different types of birds that come in there. You just wouldn't believe some of the birds that migrate to the Central Florida area. And when they do come in to these roosting areas in the late afternoon, those flocks of birds just blacken the sky." "Best of all, as the sun goes down and we're making our way back to the dock, the headlamps on our airboats illuminate the eyes of all of those animals that only come out at night. And when you see all of those eyes glowing back at you, that's when you begin to realize that that seemingly empty stretch of swamp isn't so empty after all," Captain Jim concluded. "That's why I encourage people who are vacationing in Orlando to come experience one of our Marsh Landing Adventures. Only by climbing aboard one of our airboats do you then get to see how much real wildlife there is right outside those theme park gates." So if you're tired of looking at animatronic alligators and/or amphibious reptiles on exhibit, why not getting up-close to the real thing the next time you're in Central Florida by booking an Orlando Airboat Tour? By: Jim Hill Orlando, FL - 12/09/13 | 
