TITUSVILLE, Fla. — If serene is your scene, then this is your place. A spot on the Space Coast is where nature is the star of the show.
Tucked away near the Kennedy Space Center is a kayaker's paradise where guided tours offer a glimpse of Florida's amazing wildlife on the Indian River Lagoon.
WATCH BELOW: Kayak tour offers glimpse of Florida's wild side
The tours are run by this man, Jay Begley, who calls himself "Jungle" Jay.
"We encounter dolphins, manatees, lots of bird life," Begley said.
He's been giving tours of the area for more than a decade.
With just a stroke of the paddle, we were able to see why Begley loves his job so much.
Among the places he showed us was a historic waterway.
"This is called the Haulover Canal — very historical canal — the original was dug in 1606 by the Spanish, but that was about a half mile south of here," Begley explained.
As we glided through calm waters, exploring some of the most scenic waterways of the Indian River Lagoon, we saw a tiny head pop up.
We quickly realized it was a baby manatee!
"Straight ahead you can see manatees just peaking out of the water over there ... a little hump right there," Begley said. "That's a baby."
The rare sighting made us realize that conservation efforts are working to restore the lagoon's water quality.
But it's also a reminder that you never know what could be lurking below.
"That's why you always keep your eyes open and your head on swivel, cause you never know when something is going to pop up on you," Begley said.
Just as we were about to wrap up the first part of the tour, nature gave us another show, and it was just waiting for us over the horizon.
"Sunsets are always beautiful, no matter how you spin it," Begley marveled.
As breathtaking as that was, we were on the hunt for another natural phenomenon.
Some may call it nature's glow-in-the-dark magic, but the technical name is bioluminescence.
And the best part is we didn't have to go far to see it. We just had to be patient.
Begley explained the science of this amazing natural phenomenon.
"It's a chemical reaction in the water," Begley said. "We agitate the water. They get scared. They release photoprotein, [which] mixes with the oxygen in the water, lights up and then it's done."
The best time to see this watery wonder is at night and during the summer months.
That is when Florida's steamy temperatures fuel their brightness.
"The reason it's so bright out here in the summertime is because of our long days that we have, so it has a lot of time to photosynthesize during the day to flourish, bloom, and grow," Begley said.
He said the comb jellies are the big "show stopper."
They are completely harmless, and giving them just the slightest little shake gives them that beautiful blue glow.
"That's where it's at right there at the end of the night when they express their joy with one of these tours, that's everything for me," Begley said.
Sure, the heat is relentless and the mosquitoes don't take the nights off, but for Begley, it's all worth it. Because out here, in the stillness of night, even the water knows how to glow up.
"I never get tired of it," Begley said.
Click here to check out Begley's YouTube page and click here to book a tour with him!
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