| Outdoors |
Airboats allow up-close look at the Lower Mobile-Tensaw Delta
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econd in size only to the Mississippi River Delta, the Mopelicans and other birds or waterfowl. Passengers might also see bile-Tensaw Delta spreads across 250,000 acres north of Moferal pigs, raccoons, snakes, otters, turtles, fish and other creatures bile Bay. Congress declared this wet wilderness a National that call the delta home. The captain stops the boat regularly to Natural Landmark in 1974. point out various plants or animals and provide information about Many thousands of people glimpse these marshes every day as them, often sprinkled with a few tall tales and good-natured jokes. they drive along Interstate 10 or U.S. 98, better known as Battle“All kinds of animals live out there,” Geoff says. “One of our ship Parkway or the Mobile Causeway, between Mobile and Spanmost unusual sightings was a bobcat swimming in the water. Evish Fort. But most people never venture into these wetlands. With ery now and then we see a deer, but they usually hear the airboat an airboat, people can easily tour this special wilderness sitting and run off. I think the people enjoy how we stop to talk to them. almost in the shadIt’s not just a ride. ow of downtown It’s an adventure. Mobile. If someone wants From February to take a picture, through mid-Nowe stop so they can vember, Geoff and take it.” Brittany Woodliff Of course, most leave daily from the people want to see Causeway to take alligators. Many people on airboat riders come from tours. Also called a places where they fan boat, an airboat cannot see tidal uses the power of marshes or wild an aircraft engine alligators. During and propeller safewarmer months, ly enclosed in a guests frequently wire cage to push see alligators, including some really a boat over weeds, big ones. through extremely “I really enjoyed shallow waters or An airboat ride allows visitors to experience the natural beauty of the largest river delta and looking at the allieven over wet mud. wetland in Alabama. PHOTO BY JOHN FELSHER gators almost eye “I saw my first to eye in the water,” says Marie Wines, who with her husband, airboat when I was about 10 and I’ve been interested ever since,” Jeff, now lives in Spanish Fort. “The captain gave us an education Geoff says. “We use two 18-foot Diamondback airboats, each with on the alligators and about how the temperature of the nest deterbig block Chevrolet 496 engine that creates about 460 horsepower. These boats are very versatile with shallow drafts. They can go mines the sex of the alligators in the eggs. That was very interesting. Whenever someone comes to visit us, we take them out here where other boats cannot go. We have mufflers on them to be as because it’s an education and it’s fun. We don’t see this kind of ecofriendly and noise-friendly as possible.” terrain in Ohio.” Geoff is from northern Alabama and Brittany is from Florida; “Captain Geoff always does a great job,” echoes Jeff. “He knows both fell in love with the delta and each other. Married since 2008, what he’s doing. He’s entertaining too. He tells us a lot of interestthe two U.S. Coast Guard certified captains began their airboat ing facts about the alligators and the birds. We learn something business about 15 years ago. Now they run tours seven days a new every time we go out with Geoff. He tells a different story and week, weather permitting. takes a little different route every time.” “We never do a tour exactly the same way,” Geoff says. “It just Marie and Jeff grew up in Canton, Ohio. On this occasion, they depends on what we see and what the people in the boat want to brought Jeff ’s father, Ernest Wines. A Korean War veteran who do. Every tour is customized for them. Sometimes people don’t still lives in Ohio, Ernest had never ridden in an airboat before. care about the plants, trees and flowers. They just want to go fast “I thought it was really great,” Ernest says. “The captain knows and have fun. That’s fine. Some people want to shoot a lot of photos. We tailor it to the people on the boat.” how to drive that boat. I’ve never been in a marsh before. We saw On each tour, passengers might see numerous herons, egrets, some things I’ve never seen before. There’s a lot of fish out there. My favorite part was when we were going through the reeds. It was quite a sensation.”n John N. Felsher lives in Semmes, Ala. Contact him through Facebook.
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To book a tour, call the Woodliffs at 251-370-7089 in Spanish Fort or visit airboatexpress.com. www.alabamaliving.coop
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