Ozello airboat rides give glimpse into old Florida: ‘It’s a peaceful little piece of paradise’
OZELLO, Fla. - There is a piece of Florida between Crystal River and Homosassa that most Floridians don’t know exist and its residents are doing their best to preserve their piece of paradise.
Ozello is a place where people go to slow down.
To hear Billy Fender talk about Ozello and the Saint Martin’s River is like stepping back in time.
Fender operates Ozello Air Boats and his tours take guests into a part of old Florida that most people never get to see – from the Saint Martin’s River and the Saint Martin’s Marsh Aquatic Preserve all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.
Marshes in Ozello during the 'Golden Hour.'
"I’m kind of speechless about what is out here," Fender explained. "Welcome to a little piece of Florida. Florida that no one knows exists. That’s my favorite part."
"It’s a peaceful little piece of paradise," he added. "This is the outskirts of the St. Martin’s Aquatic Preserve in Ozello. And out here, as we do have crystal clear waters, this is part of the largest of the Gulf Coast reefs for the state of Florida."
The water is crystal clear in Ozello.
Fender grew up here and this is his home.
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"My family, my brother and I have found a love and passion for where we’re at," Fender shared. "We have some of the most pristine waters on the Gulf Coast of Florida. And so coming out here as kids and fishing out here catching redfish, trout, flounder, all of the above, it’s really nice to be able to come do it 30 years later and have the same abundance of fish as we did back in the 90’s."
A bird stands in the waters in Ozello.
FOX 13’s Russell Rhodes joined Fender for an airboat ride and got a first-hand look at the crystal clear water surrounding reefs with health coral and sponges.
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"The coral and the sponge can survive some pretty harsh environments," Fender said. "It’s like even with this area, believe it or not, it can and will become dry land at times."
A dolphin swam alongside the airboat as it skipped over the river. Above the water, birds of all kinds, including an eagle, soared.
Russell Rhodes and Billy Fender on an airboat in Ozello.
"It’s the safest way of travel through this area," Fender said of the airboats. "We can basically go over any Mother Nature that’s below the surface. We don’t do any damage with manatees or any dolphins, stuff of that nature. It’s the safest way to travel… as long as your captain’s a little on the experienced side."
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Homes called ‘cracker shacks’ dot the riverside. The residences don’t have many amenities, but there is a lot of peace and quiet.
Some people live in 'cracker shacks' along the water in Ozello.
"Everybody out here, even the locals in Ozello are doing their best to preserve what there is," Fender shared. "They don’t want any new, big buildings, any restaurants, anything of that nature. They are doing their absolute best to preserve old Ozello. Old Florida."
An airboat travels through the marshes in Ozello.