Marathon Kayak is a family-owned and operated kayaking outfitter that offers guided kayak tours, specialty kayak trips, kayaking instruction, kayak rentals and kayak sales.
We are located in Marathon, Florida, U.S.A., in the heart of the beautiful Florida Keys. Marathon Kayak is the most experienced professional paddling outfitter in the middle Keys. We are avid kayakers and outdoors enthusiasts who are dedicated to providing you with a fun and memorable kayaking experience.
Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned paddler, kayaking is an exciting way to experience the beauty and wonder of the Florida Keys...
Contact us today for more information or to book your kayaking tour.
Cool things they say about us....
Kayak Dave is featured in this NYT slideshow and story Exploring the Florida Keys by Kayak – January 29, 2009
Go the distance in Fla.
Marathon, a coral island cluster, offers sights, sun, and surprises
By Necee Regis
Boston Globe Correspondent / December 29, 2004
" MARATHON, Fla. -- ...There are many ways to get out in the environment in Marathon, including snorkeling on coral reefs, fishing charters, scuba dive tours, sunset sails, and walks on nature trails through tropical forests and mangroves. From the plethora of available choices, the Red Mangrove Eco-Tour offered by Marathon Kayak caught my eye.
" They call me Kayak Dave," said the voice on the other end of the phone when I called to ask about the trip.
David Kaplan, or "Kayak Dave," is a native Miamian and whitewater kayaker now in his fifth season renting kayaks and giving tours in the Keys. He buys new boats every year, updating his bright rainbow-colored fleet to ensure you a reliably seaworthy vessel. This particular three-hour trip, billed as something a beginner can handle, launches in a quiet canal where recreational yachts nestle bow to stern, and then moves into the larger waters of Boot Key Harbor.
Kaplan offers a wealth of information about the flora and fauna of the area.
A yellow crown night heron flew past as we entered a smaller tidal channel, steering toward lagoons that only paddlers can access. Eventually, Kaplan guided us through a bower of mangroves. The light dimmed as we maneuvered single file through tunnels of twisting roots, at some points so narrow we laid our paddles down and pulled ourselves forward by the branches.
Soggy and happy, we returned to the dock precisely three hours later..."
read the whole story
Summer 2012
What does it take to swim from Cuba to Florida?
" A dream, friends, unwavering commitment, a mother ship, an escort boat, the shark shields, fuel, kayaks, airfare, hotel rooms, 25 person crew, a doctor, an ops team, food, skin care, gear, advertising, cameras, weather experts, and so much more!"
Former Olympian Diana Nyad will attempt her dream of a lifetime by swimming from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage.
Diana looks to Kayak Dave to help keep her safe on this epic swim. As a member of Nyad's Xtreme Dream team, he will paddle a safety kayak along side her in her swim from Havana, Cuba to Key West, USA. Follow her quest for a world record...
Places & Prices: Our 115-Mile Playground
by Joyce Pendola | Published August 2005
... An unusual and informative kayak tour of the mangroves—among other options—can be had with the very personable David Kaplan of Marathon Kayak...
Florida Keys
The most dramatic drive on the East Coast, from party-hearty Key West up to the Everglades
By Shax Riegler, December 2006/January 2007 issue
photo: Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys
credit: "Kayak Dave" Kaplan
