St. Augustine Interviews
Zach McKenna

Captain Zach McKenna, founder of St. Augustine Eco Tours, is a passionate and knowledgeable certified naturalist.

Zach and his company offer boat and kayak tours that provide an on-water interpretive experience that focuses on environmental education, conservation, and wildlife and habitat protection.

Captain Zach McKenna and tour.

I was fortunate to attend one of his recent presentations.

Slide after slide of birds, dolphin, manatee and sargassum (you'll just have to ask Zach about this one) made for an informative evening.

I think what impressed me the most was Zach's passion for his work. We learned so much!

The first major population study of the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin in our area has been undertaken by Zach and his crew. All of the research they do is non-invasive. Did you know every dolphin fin is different and can be used for identification?

You'll want to make a date with St. Augustine Eco Tours during your visit. Please note that all of the boat tours are limited to six persons for a very personal experience. So make your reservations as early as possible, tours tend to book up quickly.

Ladies and Gentlemen; Captain Zach McKenna

Hi Zach, would you please introduce yourself to our visitors?

My name is Zach McKenna and I am founder of St. Augustine Eco Tours, an education based boat and kayak tour company. I grew up learning to be a naturalist on the waterways of South Carolina and Florida. My wife and I feel that the best way to preserve our beautiful salt marsh environment and the dolphins and other wildlife, is to show it to people. So, we created this fun little company as a platform to teach our community and to further some research we are doing on the local wild dolphin population.

Your knowledge as a naturalist is very extensive. Folks that take your tour are in for a real treat and are sure to come away with a new respect for our waters and the inhabitants that live there. Can you share a bit about what they can expect to see and learn?

The fun thing about our tours, is every one is different. I would say that watching the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin interact in their own environment is always a hit. We see them about 95% of the time, and while we watch a mom teaching her calf to fish or a young male engaged in tail-bashing, we are going to tell you what’s going on from their perspective--what they are doing, why and basically, all about their life-cycle that got them to this point. That said, many people come out with us primarily to see our wide variety of bird-life. Locals and visitors are always excited by the bald eagle nests, watching the osprey dive, or learning how Oyster Catchers are genetically ideal for eating their prey. Of course, the kids love when we pick up the jellyballs (type of jellyfish) to find the crabs that live inside them and explain how this variety cannot sting. These are the common things that come to mind, but we see endangered species surprisingly often on our trips as well--Manatees, several species of sea turtles, we rescued an octopus this summer.

You have a very unique boat that you use for your tours. Would you tell us about it?

Yes, it's a Jacques Cousteau boat, well, it's the kind he used for his research. We choose it because it is the ideal platform for viewing wildlife. The boat can cruise in shallow marshes, is an extremely smooth ride even in the roughest of conditions, burns little fuel, and the seats are low we are viewing creatures closer to eye-level.

Kayak tours are also something you offer. Do you provide the kayaks or could someone bring their own?

We provide everything. When we go on vacation, we like to travel light, and we want to be sure our guests can do the same. So, they show up with sun protection and a camera, and we provide the rest. We have state-of the art double kayaks with rudders. They are incredibly stable and comfortable. We have had the occasional avid paddler bring his own boat, but most customers, even some locals who have fancy fiber-glass boats, find it's much easier to avoid the hassle and use ours. We also have this fabulous launching system that makes it really easy to get in and out of the kayaks.

You have some amazing photographs that you have taken out on the tours. What kind of camera should folks bring on the tour?

Whatever you have! We do custom photography trips with professionals who have equipment that takes up the whole boat, but we also have families with disposables who end up blowing up and framing their shots of the kids beachcombing. We keep you totally dry on the boat, but if you have a nice camera and you are kayaking, we just suggest bringing a plastic bag to put it in when you aren't using it.

Thank you, Zach, for taking the time complete my interview. Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

Let's go! Countless guests tell us this was the best experience of their vacation. The tour will create some great memories, and give you a fresh perspective.

St. Augustine Eco Tours kayak adventure
with Zach McKenna.

For more information or to make a reservation please call (904) 377-7245.