Searching For Bigfoot: Florida 0507

Florida 0507

The Searching for Bigfoot Team had heard stories about the "Skunk Ape" swimming between islands at the Southern most tip of Florida. This is an area known as the 10,000 Islands area reaching down for over 100 miles from Chokoloskee Island and Everglade City, Florida. Our plan was to head southeast from the southernmost tip of Florida's, Chokoloskee Island. Chokoloskee is one of only two of the 10,000 Islands that are inhabited. Chokoloskee has a population of only 250 people, including our host, Captain Judy Caseley. This 140 acre island is made up of oyster shells discarded by the Calusa Indians over their rich history. Chokoloskee means "old house" in the Seminole Native American language. We left Chokoloskee Island in the afternoon because we had to go and see for ourselves if this story could be true. We had contacted our old friend, Captain Judy, who arranged for us to go out in two boats. Judy arranged for us to utilize her boat and set up a backup boat through her neighbor. Many of you probably remember Judy Caseley as the person who shared those wonderful photos of the famous "Skunk Ape" in our report FLORIDA '06 . You can see a picture by visiting Captain Judy's website at http://www.focusontheeverglades.com/ and scrolling down the page.

Captain Judy

Our plan was to head south from the very tip of Florida, Everglade City. We would go out about 20 to 60 miles into the area known as 10,000 Islands. We would look for signs of large animals on some of the islands and hopefully, we might see a creature swimming to or from an island.

A map of the area of our interest

By the afternoon of 5/18/07 we were ready to head out. It was a hot and humid day and slightly overcast. The water was a little choppy, but we were in good hands with Captain Judy at the helm. We headed south with Captain Judy Caseley, Tom Biscardi, and me.. JavaBob Schmalzbach in the main boat.

Tom Biscardi on the ride out

The backup boat carried TJ Biscardi and Brian Mazzola and was captained by another person. We wanted to be able to photograph the main boat from our backup boat.

TJ and Brian the cameraman on the way to some islands

Captain Judy took us out towards some of the larger islands first, then into the smaller and shallower areas. For much of the expedition, we stayed in visual contact with both boats. The ride was a little rough, but very beautiful. Captain Judy was even able to call some dolphins to her boat by using rhythmic drumming sounds on the hull. This was something I had never experienced before!

Some of the dolphins Captain Judy was able to "call in"

We traveled about two hours before we came to an island that Captain Judy had told us about that was the site of a previous skunk ape sighting.

Captain Judy brought us to shore and we began exploring. I was amazed to see the damage done by last season’s hurricane and how quickly the island was being re-populated with plants. The islands themselves were made up of mostly crushed sea shells and shone white in the sun. To my surprise, there was an abundance of food items, including berries, cactus, grasses, date palms, and coconut trees, just to name a few. We found small ponds of fresh water as well. It was clear that even the smaller islands could support a few large animals at a time. As we explored, we found many animal foot prints in the sand. We found raccoon prints, deer prints, and other animals as well. It became clear to us that many animals must be swimming between these islands.

White shell sands and trees coming back from the hurricanes

Once on the islands, our search began in earnest. It wasn’t long before we began finding large bedding areas and even a huge heel print from a very heavy animal. There was not enough print for us to tell definitively what type of animal it was, but it was clear it was very heavy, what ever it was! The bedding area we found was one of the largest the Tom Biscardi had seen in his 30 plus years of "Bigfoot" research!

We found a huge bedding area. Clearly for large animals! The heel print speaks for itself!

We spent most of the day on the islands where it became very clear to us that many animals swim between these islands. We have no problems believing the stories from the locals about the “Skunk Ape” swimming the islands. There is plenty of solitude, food, and cover on the islands to warrant a visit from a large animal. If there is a “Skunk Ape” in the area, it would be un-thinkable to imagine that it would not travel to these rich areas of habitat. We headed back to the mainland, with a new appreciation of the many stories we had heard from the locals. I decided to join TJ and Brian in the smaller boat so we could travel down some of the narrow inlets between the islands in hope of filming an animal swimming in the water between islands.

TJ and Brian along with JavaBob looking for swimming animals

It was time to get back on the road. We still had to go to Tampa, Florida to meet with Scott Marlone, a local college teacher who was teaching the only classes in crypto zoology that we are aware of. We were exhausted from our day’s adventure, but duty called so we packed up our gear and headed north to Tampa. Once there, we met the good instructor at a local restaurant and enjoyed a good meal and some good conversation. Scott told us about his goal of being the first professor to teach an accredited program in crypto zoology. After meeting this man and hearing his story and feeling his passion, I believe he just may succeed at his goal. Our best wishes to him and we feel good to have made another friend and supporter on our way!

Tom Biscardi and Scott Marlone

Off we head for our next destination; Benton, Mississippi to meet with our good friend MK Davis.

Wisconsin 0507 , Minnesota 0507 , Kentucky 0507 , New Mexico 0507 , Arizona 0507

Written and posted by JavaBob

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