Expedition Florida 500

Mother Ocean has launched a yearlong project in 2013 called Expedition Florida 500 (XF500) with numerous partners including Quiksilver, Tahoe SUP, Viva Florida 500, and more. XF500 is a modern-day exploration of Florida’s coastline, waterways, and aquatic ecosystem as seen through the eyes of the waterman. 2013 is Florida’s 500th anniversary since Ponce de Leon landed on Florida's coastline back in 1513; in celebration of this momentous occasion, the organizations will unite to embark on a yearlong journey combining the best of exploration, adventure, stewardship, science, and sport into a package that will include the full gamut of the waterman’s lifestyle.
Mother Ocean's Justin Riney will be leading the movement for the entire 365 days; he will be joined by an all-star cast from partnering organizations, spending the first half of the year exploring the coastline: chasing hurricane swell in the Atlantic, freediving Spanish shipwrecks, sailing in the Gulf of Mexico, standup paddling the state’s coastline, spearfishing in the Dry Tortugas, and stopping into local beachside communities and hosting cleanups. They’ll encourage others to paddle with them, including team riders from Quiksilver and various celebrity paddlers.

Team XF500 will then turn inland, spending the second half of the journey along the rivers, lakes, estuaries, and marshland – the intricate network that makes up the Florida freshwater ecosystem. They’ll document and explore the waterways much like they did with the coastline. They’ll camp and airboat through the Everglades, canoe the natural springs, film amazing Florida wildlife and scenery, kayak and standup paddle the rivers and waterways, and leave the land in better and cleaner condition than when they arrived. Camping and living off the land will be the norm.

The expedition’s primary goal is to highlight the importance of stewardship efforts as they relate to the ocean, coastlines, waterways, and the marine ecosystem. Florida is unique in that it embodies the entire aquatic ecosystem from source to sea – one of the few places on Earth with such a vast array of thriving wildlife and a natural environment based around water. The team will document their journey through daily blogging, daily photos and videos for social media outlets, filming for their own documentary, and filming for Tahoe SUP’s EXPLORE project series.

Please email us at XF500@motherocean.org regarding opportunities to contribute to Expedition Florida 500. This is very much a collaborative effort, and we'll need your help.

Read more at;  http://www.motherocean.org/xf500.html