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Florida air boat captains lead exciting life
"Most people want to see an alligator and go fast"
Florida air boat captains Emanuel and Andrew know every inch of the 2200-acre swamp at the Billie Swamp Safari on the Seminole Indian Reservation at Big Cypress, Florida.
Manny, as he is known to his friends and co-workers, has worked at the Safari for five years, as animal handler and air boat operator.
"I grew up in Miami," Manny explains. "I hated it!"
Emanuel's life changed when he was nine, and his mother took a job as a secretary at Billie Swamp Safari.
What an adventure for a kid! Alligators, snakes, bears, panthers, and all sorts of native and exotic animals call this Seminole eco-system home.
Manny explains that he started on "grounds" and then moved to snake shows, air boats and swamp buggies, the large-wheeled vehicles that bounce passengers over the rugged terrain of the forest and swamp.
The athletic youngster learned alligator wrestling from Gus "One Bear,"a Cuban, and Jonathan "Cat Tail," a Puerto Rican.
He enjoys the people he meets from all over the world.
"It makes me want to travel," Manny says. "I meet people from Denmark, Russia, South Africa--everywhere."
Manny drives 40 miles to and from Clewiston every day to work.
Andrew explains that he has been working at the famous tourist attraction almost 20 years, longer than anyone else.
"I was invited to come here by a lady who had big cats," Andrew explained. "She was a friend of the director and got me a job. She just recently passed away. I fed the cats. As time went by, I learned air boats."
Andrew admits that air boat operators don't last long.
"They usually get burned out after two years," says the seasoned boat captain. "That doesn't happen to me. I like to change things up. The ride changes with every new person who gets on the boat. I don't see the ride as routine."
Andrew stops the boat in certain spots and gives background information. At one point in the tour, an osprey sits, unmoving, in a tree over the water. This guide explains that the osprey has learned an easy way to hunt in this spot.
"He knows there is tilapia, which happens to be an invasive fish, right here in these waters, so he just dives down and gets them, whenever he wants."
Though this reporter's boat load of visitors is curious about the many bird and plant species, Andrew admits that not everyone is so inclined to learn about the ecosystem.
"Most people just want to see an alligator and go fast," the tour guide admits.
When asked about "invasive species," Andrew has a ready answer:
"How can we complain about something that don't belong (like tilapia or pythons), when we don't belong here ourselves?" Andrew says. "The natives are the only original inhabitants."
This job seems to agree with Andrew, in particular, as he drives 130 miles, round trip, from Fort Myers to Big Cypress and back.
"Most people move to the country, and then they try to make it like the city. I have to be in the woods," Andrew admits. "If people had the quietness of the woods in their closet, they could take it out and enjoy it whenever they needed it."
Like the other employees at Billie Swamp Safari, these two air boat captains seem to genuinely enjoy their jobs.