The Sandy Beaches of the Atlantic

If you continue east past the St. Johns river you come to the Indian River lagoon system, which is part of the InterCoastal waterway. The Indian River is not actually a river at all. A lot of locals don't even realize that, but what we all know as the Indian River is actually a salt water inlet - part of an extensive lagoon system that has been 240,000 years in the making.

Salt water from the Atlantic and fresh water runoff from creeks, rivers and canals, mix together to make the brackish waters of the Indian River Lagoon. A narrow stip of barrier islands separate the lagoon from the Atlantic ocean.

You get a mix of salt and fresh-water birds and wildlife in the lagoon. Dolphins, pelicans and manta rays stay in the saltier water, and manatees, alligators and otters stay mostly in the fresh water. Occasionally an individual may wander a bit far from home - gators have been seen in both the intercoastal and the ocean. Manatees living in the lagoon will come around while a boat is being hosed down to drink the fresh water running off.

The intercoastal lagoon and the seashore are quite different environments from the marsh, but interesting in their own ways, with different scenery and wildlife.

Note: It was brought to my attention that to be accurate it should be "intracoastal", but locally it is more often spoken of as the "intercoastal". Not unlike a "turkey vulture" being called a "buzzard" - sometimes the commonly used name is not the correct one.