The traditional way to explore the Florida is by car. The chunk of U.S. 1 that stretches from the Florida mainland to Key West — 127.5 miles with 42 bridges and vast stretches of water on each side — is often counted among the most scenic drives in the country.

But observing a series of islands, it quickly becomes clear that pavement takes an island-hopping traveler only so far. A deeper thought requires not just staring at the shallow water, but getting on it. And a kayak may be the best way to do it.

You can see water in five different shades of blue. But often the only way to reach that water is in a kayak.

In the Keys, an archipelago of some 1,700 islands, finding a kayak outfitter has come to be about as difficult as spotting a pelican. It is entirely plausible to go on three different types of kayak trips, in three distinctly different environments in the Keys, all inside of a single day.

Kayaks are employed in conjunction with snorkeling and spear fishing.