Today we’d like to introduce you to Juan Pablo Ortega and David Furer.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Juan Pablo and David. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My name is Juan Pablo, I’m a digital entrepreneur and David is a journalist, mathematician, and sailor. We had both been sailing in Miami for over ten years and a few summers ago, when I helped him on his youth sailing program, I got hooked. That’s why in 2018, we launched Salty Miami to share the amazing experience of wind travel with everyone. We are based in Coconut Grove and provide the only boat tour in Miami that’s 100% powered by wind. Our Hobie Catamarans sailboats were designed with surfing in mind, so you are close to the water; it allows us to experience every corner of the Bay like no other boat can. It’s a truly eco-friendly experience and proudly zero-carbon footprint.
We visit the north side of the Biscayne National Park, a watery wonderland that’s mostly covered by the ocean, with over 600 species including fish, sea turtles, octopus, starfish, stingrays, mammals like dolphins and manatees and a huge diversity of birds. We’ve been lucky to have once-in-a-lifetime wildlife encounters. One of the most remarkable was a mother dolphin giving birth to her baby this past summer. It was an awe-inspiring experience that we were lucky to also capture in video.
Our mission is to educate and raise awareness about the amazing ecosystem that calls Miami home. We are also part of the local clean-up community and have been cleaning up our shores for many years during our youth sailings under the motto: “One sail, one trash bag closer to a cleaner bay”.
Last year, we started donating 10% of our profit to a non-profit organization called Florida Ocean Clean-Up Society (@Focus.Miami), we started working with FOCUS to organize beach clean-ups, educational programs, and also influence local policy. One of our goals is to bring the first effective ocean trash skimmer to Miami. This year, we’re expanding our offering to gastronomy tours, wellness experiences and other adventures which will soon launch on our website.
Has it been a smooth road?
We have been fortunate to create something people want. Our reviews speak for themselves and they’ve helped us get lots of attention. But starting a business is never easy and sailing is a tough industry because it depends on weather conditions. In fact, many people told us that it wasn’t a good idea, but we had a vision we were not willing to let go of easily.
We encountered some bureaucratic roadblocks, but thankfully through our non-profit work, many new doors opened. We are proud to say we count with the support of many city officials in Miami and we are here to stay. Like in any business activity, we believe the key is to listen to those who say NO! Only to get better until they can no longer say no.
Please tell us about Salty Miami.
Salty Miami sailing tour is different from any other experience in Miami because it’s adventurous, yet relaxing and we can customize it for our guests by adding snorkeling or visiting Stiltsville (a group of wood stilt houses located one mile into Biscayne Bay), sandbars and seagrass beds where we go to explore and search for wildlife.
It’s definitely not your typical Miami boat day. We are 100% wind powered, no engines involved. Once you start sailing, you will feel connected with nature in a way that’s comfortable. Moving slower in a sailboat allows you to see things that are often missed when traveling on a powerboat. We are owner-operated, so it feels less like a tour and more like going out with a friend. We tell stories about Miami history and other anecdotes.
We get to see amazing sunsets and sometimes dolphins, manatees, stingrays and different birds too. As many of our guests describe it, “the highlight of their trip to Miami”. We also enjoy teaching people the basics of sailing and the science that makes it possible. We’ll let guests steer the boats if they want to learn, under the captain’s supervision of course. One of the things that make us very proud is to be a company that doesn’t use plastic bottles, avoid single-use plastics at all costs, and pick up litter from the water.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The Miami tourism industry broke records in 2018, the same year we started. We see many trends within our industry, the main trend we are following is people looking to experience off-the-beaten-path adventures because that’s exactly what we offer.
In our opinion, the big shift in the traveling industry was caused by Airbnb, a disruptive platform that is allowing the rise of the informal tourism industry; also it’s enabling people to make a living by sharing their passion with others. More platforms like Adventureapp.io are aiming to do the same. Salty Miami is also looking to create curated experiences at the local level and hopefully expand to other cities soon.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2400 S Bayshore Dr, Miami, FL 33133
- Website: www.SaltyMiami.com
- Phone: 7542345616
- Email: hello@saltymiami.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saltymiami/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saltymiami
- Other: https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/282899
Image Credit:
@SaltyMiami
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