In general, the Beneath the Surface podcast is often about boards, boats, and boatloads of memories. But what good is a paddle board without a place to paddle it? In this episode, Corey and Sean give us a hearty rundown of some of their favorite places to go paddling in Florida.

Broken down by types of waterways—from springs and rivers, to bays and bayous—and also broken down by types of paddlers—from hard-charging sadists to chilled out recreationalists, this list is a bona fide primer on great places to paddle in The Sunshine State.

As Sean says, “I find that there are many levels of paddlers. We are lucky here in Florida because there is so much variety and different types of water. Florida has something for every paddler.”

From the Florida Panhandle to Key West, the Suwannee to the Apalachicola, there are plenty of world-class paddling destinations in Florida’s waters for both experienced and novice paddlers alike. Enjoy.

Links from the Episode 

Experience the eerie beauty of the Dead Lakes.

Get dressed for the occasion. 

Explore Florida’s vast system of freshwater springs. 

Check paddling with manatees off your bucket list.

Who’s in the Episode

Lead Designer, Co-Founder, and CEO at BOTE, Corey Cooper is a licensed engineer hailing from Auburn University. Corey is the pioneer of the DarkRoom, assisting with the design of the machinery, concepting the layout and ultimately developing the workflow used in DarkRoom production. Corey’s passion for this project is so strong that on any given day, regardless of how busy things are at BOTE, you will often find Corey working in the DarkRoom.

Sean Murphy is the Director of Photography at BOTE and a world-renowned photographer based in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. After spending most of his career based in Los Angeles, shooting for brands like Adidas, Red Bull, and Toyota, just to name a few, Sean moved back to the Redneck Riviera. You can find Sean capturing gritty America and spontaneous moments that translate into visually stunning photography. 

Sound Bites

“Here in Florida, we have bayous, we have bays, we have the Gulf, we have rivers, we have lakes. So really the best thing about paddling is that there’s something for everybody.” - Sean Murphy, BOTE Director of Photography 

“Whether it’s river paddling or lake paddling or ocean paddling, it’s the personal experiences that make most of these things for us.” -- Corey Cooper, CEO and Co-Founder at BOTE