Dave Davidson is passionate about nature and extending the opportunity to others to explore.
With a love for kayaking and routine of romanticizing nature, the Village of Hillsborough resident said it wasn’t long into his time of volunteering with The Friends of the Lake Griffin State Park that he had the idea of helping others get in the water.
“This is kind of my passion right now and has been, I think, for the past few years,” he said. “ I thought, ‘How do we help other people experience being on the water?’ That was kind of the genesis where Linda (Morrison) and I came up with the whole idea of doing Kayak 101.
“We take a person who has the thought that they might want to enjoy the sport and give them an incredible amount of information that we’ve curated over the last few years,” he said. “We just slow it down — it works out to be about two and a half hours we are together.”
Morrison, of the Village of St. James, has been involved with The Friends of the Lake Griffin State Park for eight years. She said along with the Kayak 101 class — which has helped teach a solid background for safely paddling a kayak for nearly six years — the group also provides kayak tours of Lake Griffin with Eco-Tours and the Sunset Tours. The tours help raise money for unfunded park projects and raises awareness of what’s available at the park.
“We introduce them to nature and the peacefulness of being out on the water in a kayak,” she said. “They can go slowly and be close to nature. The comment we get most frequently is, ‘Oh it is so peaceful out here.’ I think that’s the one thing people really enjoy the most.”
No experience is necessary before taking the Kayak 101 class, which introduces participants to everything from being safe on the water and using a personal flotation device to how to paddle efficiently.
“Being safe on the water, that’s the first and most important thing I talk about,” Davidson said. “I find when I’m talking with people and I do a tour, no matter what kind of tour, if there’s any reservation in their mind about what they are doing or encountering what we have on the lakes and rivers in Florida, the ability for them to enjoy themselves out there is diminished or at least jeopardized. So I stress the importance of safety and the importance of them understanding where they are and the environment they are in.”
The experience of being immersed in nature doesn’t end when the kayak stops for Davidson.
“It’s about participating in life, rather than just letting it happen,” he said. “That’s what it’s about for me. Not only experiencing nature, but then coming home and saying, ‘What did I see out there?’”
Davidson enjoys reflecting on the history of the land and waters he’s exploring.
“I’m always romanticizing life,” he said. “When I’m kayaking on the water, I think of the fact that explorers came here initially to look at Florida and I’m looking at almost exactly what they saw. This is the same vision somebody had 5,000 to 8,000 years ago and hopefully will look at 5,000 to 80,00 years in the future.”
The next Kayak 101 class is from 9 to 11:30 a .m. Wednesday at Lake Griffin State Park, 3089 U.S. 441/27, Fruitland Park. Cost for the class is $35 per person. Registration is required and can be made at flgsp.org.
The following class will be May 17, which coincides with National Safe Boating Week from May 16 to May 22, when the U.S. Coast Guard will host events at Lake Griffin State Park pertaining to water safety.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
