Pine Island Paradise Paddling

While it may be difficult to say Pine Island Paradise Paddling 10 times fast, it was one of the funnest afternoons I have had in a long long time. Chris taught us all the fundamentals of paddle boarding. I honestly wasn’t expecting to love this but I DO!!! Buying a board this week!!! Thank you so much PIPB!!!

Nice couple on the bay who have a great business. Gave great recommendations where to kayak.

This was such a fabulous experience! We planned a Sunday morning tour through the estuary for my mom’s birthday. I was nervous that it wouldn’t be fun because of the level of difficulty — but Eldon and Kris were warm, welcoming, and explained and demonstrated so well that everyone stood up and no one ever fell! Cold water was provided half way through the tour of the beautiful area and we even had dolphins swim right by us! Our group of 6 had a blast, we’ll be back for paddle board yoga! Thanks again!

Eldon was very nice and made us right at home. We will be back!

Best 30 bucks spend. I had late afternoon off so I call them up. Their closing time was whenever it gets too dark to paddle which is the best time to go on the water. 2 hour sup’ing into the mangroves. Plus the packed water for me and gave me desert too. Boards and paddle (carbon fiber) in excellent condition. Worth the drive away from the city you will be middle of mangroves in 10 mins from their dock.

We could not have been happier with Pine Island Paradise Paddling. They were truly fantastic and went above and beyond to make sure we were more than satisfied. We spent a week on Upper Captiva in June 2012. I contacted them beforehand and they made arrangements to meet us at the ferry with two nice SUP boards and paddles to go with us over to the island with. The rental for the week was very reasonable and they even gave us a small discount — after the fact — when the weather turned a little sour on us. This was not expected and very nice of them to do. Great company. Great owners. Great service. I could not give them a higher review or a stronger recommendation.

So happy we found this place! We’ve only been in the area for a little over a month. Having moved from California, we were excited to trade surf for SUP. I stumbled onto Pine Island Paddling on Unilocal and decided to give them a call. I talked with Chris and she was so nice! We decided to drive out and just take a look. We thought that maybe we would do a 24 hour rental. They have great rental prices and ½ off for the second rental.
We arrived and met Chris and her husband Eldon. Both were super friendly and informative. They showed us all their boards but hubby was hooked immediately on a gorgeous 12′ board. While waiting, we saw a mother dolphin teaching her baby to play in the water, a bald eagle and a really pretty Osprey. Such a pretty place and such nice people.
So we bought the board. Amazing price BTW. We have been to another place and checked out boards online and we knew they have the best deal in town. Honestly, for what we would have paid for a used board at other stores, we got a new, top of the line board INCLUDING a $ 200 adjustable fiber carbon paddle, leash and straps. Every other place we’ve seen charges for those. Eldon and Chris even delivered the board to our home later that day!
Cut to the short– we took the board to Naples yesterday and we LOVED it! It rides like a dream! Hubby is so happy with his new board and I can’t wait to get my yoga board! Thanks to you both. See you soon!
*** UPDATE 3÷18÷2013− Since my original update we went back to PIPP and bought another board for me. I got the yoga board and love it. It’s incredibly sturdy and so much fun. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had the most amazing days on this board. It has been one adventure after another now that hubby and myself both have boards and can go together.
I was originally a little apprehensive about being on a board. Now it feels like second nature. I see dolphins on practically every trip. I saw a manatee the first day I took my new board out at Lovers Key. I saw another one on my birthday. It just doesn’t get more magical than that. It’s a purchase I have never regretted. You literally see nature in a way you never have — and get a great workout in the process.
It’s totally addicting. ;)

Took a SUP tour on St James Creek with Pine Island Paradise Paddling and it was outstanding! The water was calm and flat, perfect for someone new to SUPing. Chris and her husband, Eldon, were so warm and friendly. I initially wanted a kayak because I thought I might slow the group down on an SUP, but Chris told me not to worry about it all, so I took a SUP out on the water. Chris hung back with me and we paddled and talked about all the wildlife in the area, and it was just the best. I plan to return as often as I can until I get my own board, and even then, I will probably be back just for the company — Chris and Eldon are the best!

Unbelievable! I’m in love with paddleboarding. On every vacation I’ve taken in the last two years I look for a good paddleboard outfitter and great paddling conditions. None have been better than Pine Island Paradise Paddling. The Gulf is a treasure trove: we saw manatee, porpoise, and sea turtles. It was usually glassy calm, but when it got choppy it was a great challenge and work out. If you want to try paddleboarding you really have to rent for 24 hours so you can take the magical dawn and twilight paddles that are impossible with an hourly day-​time rental.
The boards and paddles are the highest quality I have ever rented. Even the paddles were Carbon fiber!
And the team at PIPP is the best part. They were prompt, elivery was flawless, and the rates were extremely reasonable, the absolute best price anywhere in the Sanibel and Captiva area. They even negotiated a fantastic price, giving us more paddleboards than we knew we wanted at a wonderfully reduced price so that our whole family could enjoy it. Here are a few pics of everyone having a blast. Even our 17-​month old got a ride!
It was the highlight of a vacation that was already wonderful. The icing on the cake. Don’t miss out!