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 just 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, and inlets let the sea water through in several places.

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 intracoastal and the ocean, and dolphins sometimes go up the creeks.

Manatees living in the lagoon come around while a boat is being hosed down to drink the fresh water running off. They are often seen in brackish water, but live, mate and raise their babies in fresh water.

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