Gondolas West

Aboard Gondolas West’s 22-foot boat, you may notice a strange sound coming from the vessel: silence. That’s because the boat is electric, and its burble-free ride allows captain Chris McCoy to get his passengers up close and personal with the wildlife that inhabits Fort Lauderdale’s aquatic ecosystem. His tours explore the narrower waterways around the city, many of which prove too tiny for larger boats and vacationing humpback whales to navigate. Whether a two-hour voyage or private tour, the enthusiastic captain narrates each trek, regaling passengers with city history and information about the wildlife and ecology of the area. In the interest of preserving that delicate ecology, the electric boat produces zero emissions and leaves no footprints, handprints, or paw prints on the environment.