Intracoastal Kayaks
This photograph was captured with a DJI Mavic pro drone.
Caribbean Beach
The beach and water at El Dorado Royale is perfect. It's hard to find a more peaceful experience than relaxing on a king-size bed cabana while listening to the waves lap the shore. If you book a stay at El Dorado Royale, be sure to stay in the Casitas. In addition to the bigger rooms, en-suite outdoor showers and private pools for each set of Casitas, they also include exclusive access to the beachside cabanas on the private Casitas beach.
This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300.
Clouds Over a Reef
This photograph was captured with a DJI Mavic pro drone.
Smooth Waves
Summer Fridays leave me dreaming of the ocean... at least when I'm not actually playing in it.
This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300.
Churning Sea
I'm fascinated by the man-made breakwaters that protect the beaches of El Dorado Royale. They form a natural reef just off the beach and they calm the waters dramatically.
For a better view of the beach at El Dorado Royale, check out the video I made from our last trip down to their Casitas:
Both today's photograph and this video were captured with a DJI Mavic Pro drone.
Save the Turtles
The South Carolina Aquarium has added a Sea Turtle Care Center, which is a working exhibit designed to aid sick and injured sea turtles, ultimately returning them to the ocean once they're healthy. They even have sea turtle ambulances that are dispatched to recover injured turtles quickly for the help they require at the Care Center.
This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300.
Fishing Pier
The massive fishing piers next to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge that connects St. Petersburg to Bradenton have an interesting genesis. Once upon a time, they WERE the bridge. At least until a boat with a beam higher than the bridge tried to pass below, taking the middle of the bridge out with it. Rather than repair the aging bridge, they build a new, taller bridge that would allow larger cargo and cruise ships into the Port of Tampa. They dismantled the middle section of the old bridge but left hundreds of yards on each side intact and converted them to giant fishing piers. What we have now is a very expensive take on turning lemons into lemonade.
This photograph was captured with a DJI Mavic Pro drone.
Kayak Break
We were out on a bike ride last week at Wild Dunes when we took a little break near the intracoastal waterway. While we relaxed, I put the drone up to explore the marshlands between us and the ICW. That's the great thing about the DJI Mavic Pro. It's so small you can take it with you everywhere — even on a bike ride!
We came across these kayakers taking a break of their own just as the weather started shifting and the water turned into a spooky greenish pink. This almost looks like a sunset photo but it was captured around 10am. Rain started to move in so we quickly brought the drone home, packed it up and raced home on our bikes to beat the rain.
Riviera Maya
It's hard to beat the turquoise waters of Mexico's Riviera Maya. The colors continuously change throughout the day and night as the clouds filter sunlight on to the reefs and sand below the water. It's beautiful from the beach but when you get an aerial view with a drone, it's absolutely spectacular.
This particular stretch of water is at one of my favorite Caribbean resorts, El Dorado Royale.
To see how the clouds cycle the color of the water right before your eyes, check out the video that I created from our last trip to El Dorado Royale.
This photograph was captured with a DJI Mavic Pro drone.
Stairway to Paradise
Congratulations! It's Friday and you've made it! I hope you are able to make the most of the weekend!