Seabase – Out Island Adventure
Big Munson Island – FL Keys
FREE ADVICE
(Disclaimer: free advice is worth what you paid for it!)
Whenever our troop goes on a high adventure, I always try to look at the experiences from other crews, in the hope of finding some tidbits that will make our trips more memorable.
With that goal in mind, I offer the following thoughts:
- Touring: Was it worthwhile?
- How to find the Brinton Center!
- A few words on Photography
- An Out Island Adventure packing list
We had 2 touring destinations, which were chosen solely by the Scouts. First, we wanted to go see Gatorland, an alligator refuge located just south of Orlando. Second, we wanted to swim with the manatees, which is done during the summer at Crystal River, located on the gulf side of Florida about 2/3 the way up the coast. We also wanted to visit Key West, which is an extra 30-40 minutes (at least) beyond the Brinton Center. Because all of these destinations were spread around Florida, it meant we did a lot of driving. In the name of economy, all eight of us squeezed into a Ford Expedition, which was really too tight with the gear. Nevertheless, I would have to say that the driving was really not a big deal.
Gatorland: It was kind of cool to see all the gators, but we probably spent less than 2 hours there, which was plenty. It cost about $20 per person for admission, so it was a iittle pricey in my eyes. Overall, it was interesting stopover if you are driving through that way, but I didn’t think it was interesting enough to make a special trip to see.
Swimming with the Manatees: Although this was further from Seabase, I thought it was pretty cool to swim with them. The manatee population is a little sparse in the summer, but we saw plenty, including some who let us swim around and touch them. If you go to Seabase in the winter, this would probably be really worthwhile, as there are many more manatees around. If you have the time, I would definitely recommend it. The only thing worth knowing is that trips start at 7am, meaning it is probably worthwhile to stay over in the Crystal River area. We stayed at a local hotel pretty cheaply, which was worth it–there was a family on the boat that had stayed in the Orlando area and driven to Crystal River in the morning. They were pretty beat and didn’t enjoy it as much as we did! On another note, our tour boat issued wetsuits without flippers. I would highly recommend this, as we saw some other boats where the swimmers had flippers. These serve mostly to churn up the sand. Since the water is somewhat murky anyway and you are not swimming any distance, using flippers really just makes it much harder to see.
Key West: We squeezed in a quick visit on our way from Ft. Lauderdale to the Brinton Center, which I definitely would NOT recommend. If you want to visit Key West, I’d suggest planning at least half a day there, which would allow you to get your bearing and see some of the sights. All we had time for was lunch!
Overall, although the adults ended up doing a lot of driving, I thought that our 2 days of touring added a lot to the trip. Next time we go to Seabase, I would definitely do it again, although I might be inclined to splurge the extra money to get a 12 passenger van!
How to avoid driving past the Brinton Center
As it turns out, there are no external signs as you drive down Route 1 past the Brinton Center. The base is located on the left side as you head south, and it is just before you go over the causeway on the south end of Summerland Key, at mile marker 23.8. So, as you travel south, go over Ramrod Key (the next key north from Summerland), and slow down. Right before you get on the bridge to leave Summerland Key, turn left. You will see the sign out front shown on the main page, and plenty of smiling Scouts!
A good camera is a must for this trip (like all Scout adventures!). Before we went, I had purchased an Olympus SW (Shock and Waterproof) series camera, which I would highly recommend. It resists water, dirt (including sand) and moderate abuse, making it a good high adventure camera. I hadn’t used it before, so it took me a while to figure out the underwater settings, but most of the photos on this site were taken with the camera (and optimized with Photoshop). However, you will also see on this site some photos taken with a disposable underwater camera. These were a little more spotty, but some came out really nice. We had 3-4 disposable cameras for the crew, which was enough for the snorkeling. These cameras also work for regualar photos, but I would suggest a regular digital (or film, if that’s your preference) camera for non-underwater photos. Just make sure it is carefully waterproofed for the trips, otherwise it will get wet and ruined (like my previous, non waterproof digital camera!)
The bottom line is: you can go high-tech or low-tech, but cameras are essential gear for memories, Courts of Honor, blackmail…well, you get the picture.
Seabase provides a pretty reasonable packing list, but here is what I would suggest based on our trip this summer:
Packing List for Out Island Adventure
For Island
Clothing
- Swim shirt
- 2 bathing suits (1 for wet, 1 for dry)
- dive booties
- T-shirt (dry)
- long sleeve shirt
- dry shoes (flip flops or crocs)
- sleeping T-shirt
- sleeping underwear (maybe a luxury, but I prefer not to sleep in bathing suit!)
- hat
- sunglasses (polarized!)
Gear
- sleeping sheet (in lieu of sleeping bag)
- sleeping pad
- pillow (or bring extra towel to use as pillow)
- toothbrush/toothpaste
- suntan lotion
- baby powder
- Towel (a backpacking towel works great)
- headlamp
- Nalgene (or other water bottle)
- hammock
- extra spices for food
- Bug spray (share among crew, although doesn t work well!)
- Bonine (worked very well for us!)
For Seabase
- clean clothes!!
- toiletries (soap, shampoo, deodarant, razor)
- towel
- Scout uniform
- shirt for luau
Things I brought to the island but didn’t use:
- Rain gear (everything dries fast in the heat)
- Underwear (except for sleeping)
- long pants
- socks
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