“Why the airboat?” you might ask. Airboats are the best way of exploring the Florida Everglades. With the airboat’s flat bottom and large, caged propeller, it can coast across the shallow water with ease. The caged propeller sits on top of the boat to give the boat air thrust. Submerged water screws are not used so they don’t churn up the water. With exception of the noise, airboats are extremely eco-friendly.
The very first airboat was built in Nova Scotia, Canada by Alexander Graham Bell, and was called the Ugly Duckling in 1905. It was used to test engines and prop configurations. The Curtis Scooter was the first airboat registered in Florida in 1920. By the 1930s, makeshift airboats were being used for touring the swamps and marshes of Florida and Louisiana. The design of the airboat was altered through trial and error until the early 1940s where the modern airboat was finally established.
Before the airboat, biologists had to truck through the muddy water by foot or ride on unpowered flat-bottomed boats and push themselves through the swamp with long poles. Without the airboat, traveling through wetlands, obstructed waterways, swamps, or in a pantanal can be a difficult task.
Today, airboats are used around the world in over 15 countries. These aircrafts are used for fishing, hunting and eco-tourism. They are known to tackle almost any terrain from swamps to dry land, tall vegetation to ice.
Here at Wild Florida you and your loved ones can experience the Florida Everglades as it was meant to be. We offer beautiful day tours, relaxing sunset tours and exciting night tours that all ages can appreciate. You can get an up close look at the gators, birds, eagles, trees and plants as you glide through over 100,000 acres of beautiful wetlands. Book your Orlando Airboat Tour today!
