16. Kayak Amelia
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (904) 251-0016, (888) 305-2925
Address: 13030 Heckscher Dr.
Description: Looking for an adventure? Hop in a kayak and see Amelia Island from the water. You’ll feel like a Timucuan as you paddle through the marshes and slip silently by wading egrets. The guided trips include paddling instructions for beginners, all the equipment you’ll need, and knowledgeable guides to answer your natural history questions. All you need to bring is the sunscreen. Reservations are required, so plan in advance if you don’t want to miss out. Rumor has it there are cookies, as if you needed more incentive.
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Parks & Recreation
18. Saltwater Cowgirls Camp
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (904) 242-9380
Description: This popular surf camp held in the summer in Jacksonville Beach is for Betties only. The camp offers beach and water instruction with a strong focus on water and board safety. The camp keeps an amiable 3-to-1 student-instructor ratio. Costs vary according to age and other variables, so call to check the current rates. (See the Close-up on Saltwater Cowgirls in the Parks chapter.) Boards—both soft and hard—are provided.
19. Super Surf Camp (Sunrise Surf Shop)
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (904) 241-0933 (surf report)
Description: Offered by Sunrise Surf Shop and the City of Jacksonville Beach from June through August, the camp is geared to wanna-be surfers age seven and up. Each beginner’s session runs for one week, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Campers learn water safety, first aid, and how to surf. Soft boards are provided. For more information or to reserve a spot, call Sunrise Surf Shop.
20. Divers Supply
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (904) 646-3828
Address: 9701 Beach Blvd.
Description: Divers Supply sells and rents equipment, tanks, and accessories; offers certification lessons and basic open-water instruction; and schedules dive trips from May through September to freshwater springs in central Florida. Ocean trips to artificial reefs are available during summer. Open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.
21. Offshore Dive Charters
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (904) 463-3236
Address: 8414 Heritage River Rd.
Description: Captain Dan Lindley offers one-day, overnight, and two-day dive trips up to 40 miles offshore in water depths of up to 130 feet on The Diamond Diver, his 46-foot Newton. Rates do not include dive gear or tanks. If gear is needed, please contact the local dive shops.
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 2315 Beach Blvd.
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 14603 Beach Blvd.
24. Captain Jim’S Fun Fishing Charters
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (904) 757-7550
Address: 17184 Dorado Circle
Description: Captain Jim Hammond covers the St. Johns River, backwater creeks off the Intracoastal Waterway, and the jetties. He specializes in helping anglers catch red bass, speckled trout, jack crevalle, bluefish, flounder, sheepshead, shark, tarpon, and black drum. His 65-foot party boat can hold up to 40 anglers.
25. The Salty Feather
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (904) 645-8998
Address: 2683 St. John’s Bluff Rd.
Description: The Salty Feather, a full-service fly-fishing center that’s been in business since 1994, offers a full array of flies, rods, reels, lines, leaders, fly-tying tools, accessories, gadgets, clothing, books, videos, gift items, and much more. Salty Feather also offers guides for whole- or half-day fly-fishing trips as well as fly-fishing classes year-round. The guides specialize in fishing the hot spots from St. Augustine to Cumberland Island.