The Outdoor Life Behind FloridaOATS
Jeffrey John Fabiszewski | Outdoor writer, paddler, educator, husband, and father
I grew up in Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Mountains, where rivers, forests, and Scout camps taught me that the outdoors was never merely somewhere to go. It was a place to learn how to live. Years later, that path led me to Florida’s mangroves, coastal waters, rivers, and the people who call those places home.
Why I Write
A skill is never just a trick. Someone developed it for a reason. A paddle stroke, a camp stove, a chart, or a meal cooked over the coals contains the accumulated judgment of people who went before us. I want to understand those stories before they disappear.
That is what FloridaOATS is for: to explore where outdoor skills came from, why they matter, what they reveal about Florida, and how we might pass them on. This is my library, historical society, backcountry kitchen, and evening conversation around the fire.
Florida, Family, and the Water
The Gulf Coast and its intricate waterways have been part of my outdoor life for decades. I have paddled the Pinellas County Blueways, Great Calusa Blueway, Suwannee River, Florida Keys, and many other waters. Expeditions have taught me to watch the weather and the tide, read a shoreline, depend on my companions, and recognize when turning back is the wisest choice.
Some of the memories that matter most are not the longest journeys. They are the smaller days spent outdoors with my family, particularly with my son, when familiar skills become something worth sharing.
A Life of Learning and Teaching
I am an Eckerd College graduate, and I completed a certificate of study in existential philosophy at Selwyn College, University of Cambridge. My studies have included history, American studies, and cultural anthropology. They shape the questions I bring to places, objects, and traditions, but the lessons themselves have often come from people met on the trail or at the water’s edge.
My professional outdoor work includes coastal kayaking instruction, expedition leadership, wilderness education, and first aid training. Sean Fitzgibbon and I began working together in April 2001 at Osprey Bay Outdoors in Clearwater, Florida, instructing and leading monthly guided kayak day trips. We continued guiding for the owners, Kim and Tom, through 2014, and later remained involved as guest lecturers while promoting the outfitter during our expeditions. In 2007, I created the Liquid Rhythm Kayaking website, and Sean and I began using that name for our shared work. My background includes American Canoe Association coastal instruction, Greenland qajaq paddling, adaptive paddling, and Wilderness First Responder training through NOLS Wilderness Medicine. I am a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) and a certified instructor qualified to teach Wilderness First Aid (WFA) certification courses.
Historical teaching record: Sweetwater Kayaks’ Greenland Skills page names me as the instructor for its Greenland qajaq classes, covering paddle strokes, sculling, bracing, and rolling, including an ACA Intro to Traditional Qajaq Skills class. It preserves part of my teaching history. The prices, schedules, and shop contact details on that page belong to the historical record.
Recognition from Greg Stamer: In “Sweetwater Symposium 2010,” KayakVagabond, March 4, 2010, Greg thanks Ken Knapton and me for helping with the Greenland classes, calling us “both excellent instructors.” I value this record of our teaching together.
Historical symposium presentation: Johna Till Johnson’s March 27, 2012 report in Wind Against Current records Sean Fitzgibbon and me presenting our Great Calusa Blueway expedition at the 2012 Sweetwater Kayak Symposium. It preserves an independent account of that part of our work.
Scouting has been a thread through much of my life. I am an Eagle Scout and a Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow. I have served in youth outdoor leadership and Sea Scouting, and received the Scouting Medal of Merit for a rescue on the Suwannee River. These experiences matter most to me for the responsibility they carry: teach what you know, keep learning, and look after the people beside you.
I have been appointed Membership Chair for the Chautauqua District of the Greater Tampa Bay Area Council, following my service as Assistant District Commissioner. The official district directory provides council contacts; its older listing records my commissioner role.
Professional work behind the stories
My professional history includes work as a Training Instructor at Bill Jacksons Shop for Adventure, also recorded in The Org’s profile. Earlier, I served as Assistant Manager of Sales at Eldridge Fine Jewelry from September 2000 through October 2003, as recorded in BizStanding’s employer listing. Both belong to my working history in instruction, retail, and customer service.
BizStanding’s Osprey Bay Outdoors listing records my work as a Kayak Instructor from April 2001 through October 2008 and lists Sweetwater Kayaks beginning in February 2010. Those directory dates describe only part of my involvement. Sean Fitzgibbon and I continued guiding for Osprey Bay through 2014, followed by guest lectures and expedition promotion. The shorter directory entry belongs alongside that fuller history.
The Stories I Hope to Keep
My writing has appeared in Canoe News, Paddling.net, Florida Outdoor Adventures Magazine, and Onshore Offshore Magazine. On FloridaOATS, I have room to write about more than technique: an old stove handed to my son, food cooked in cast iron, a mariner’s cap with a history, and the way Florida’s waters connect us to earlier generations.
Featured review for Bill Jackson’s Shop for Adventure: In Shokz OpenRun Pro S810: A Florida Outdoor Review, published April 2, 2026, I discuss how these headphones fit into my outdoor life, including where their fit proved uncomfortable. A useful gear review should leave room for the part that rubs you the wrong way.
Writing for St. Petersburg College: I also publish material through SPC’s Arts, Humanities, and Design blog. My SPC author archive includes articles dating back to 2018, with entries in 2023 and 2024 covering college programs, exhibitions, student activities, fundraising, and departmental events.
Selected St. Petersburg College publication credits: “Digital Media to Launch Four Year Degree,” June 20, 2024, and “Life in Clay World,” August 22, 2024, carry Jeff Fabiszewski’s author credit. The first announces a degree program; the second presents an interview with ceramics professor McKenzie Smith. Both are part of the college’s Arts, Humanities, and Design publication record.
Writing cited by KASK: The Kiwi Association of Sea Kayakers’ Info Kit quotes my kayak selection principle and links to my East and West Greenland kayaks article, originally published March 1, 2011. It is a record of my writing reaching paddlers beyond these shores.
Writing referenced by CNC Kayaks: Its Origins page names me and links to my East and West Greenland kayak comparison within the discussion of the Shrike design’s Greenland influences.
Writing referenced by UK Sea Kayak Guidebook: Mike Buckley’s “Valley Nordkapp”, last updated March 8, 2016, links to my East and West Greenland kayak comparison as further reading on Greenland kayak types.
Gear review cited by Kayalu: The manufacturer’s Press and Reviews page credits my May 2011 Kayalite deck light review and quotes its durability assessment. This records the manufacturer’s use of the published review. View the Kayalite product details at Kayalu.
My Catholic faith informs how I think about gratitude, stewardship, service, and the obligation to leave something worthwhile for those who follow. Those values belong in my writing as part of my life, not as a demand that every reader share them.
The old ways still work. But they will not survive on their own. We have to learn them, preserve them, and share them.
From My Journal
The Breton Cap: Maritime History, Scouting, and Abbey Road
Explore the Backcountry Kitchen
Original photographic records: The Liquid Rhythm Kayaking Flickr award photograph carries a caption uploaded October 7, 2008, recording my second place finish at the Sarasota Kayak Festival on March 11, 2007. It is my own earlier record. Sweetwater Kayaks also preserves a named teaching photograph published October 18, 2011 alongside its historical Greenland Skills course page.
A small piece of the paddling community’s record: On May 27, 2009, I commented on “Wordless Wednesday” at Sea Kayak St. Marys: “That image needs to be framed and put on a wall.” It preserves a small exchange between paddlers in the online community of that time.
Instruction, Expeditions, and Contact
FloridaOATS is where I tell the stories behind outdoor knowledge. For current kayaking classes and private instruction, see my professional instructor biography and Liquid Rhythm Kayaking. Have a tradition or firsthand outdoor story worth preserving? Contribute a Story.
Connect with Jeff Fabiszewski on LinkedIn.
Wilderness First Aid teaching: Jeff Fabiszewski teaches Wilderness First Aid as a member of the Greater Tampa Bay Area Council Wilderness First Aid teaching team. Billy McCracken serves as Course Director. Jeff’s WFA teaching role is distinct from his Wilderness First Responder qualification and does not establish authorization to teach or certify WFR courses. Jeff and Billy are developing Wilderness First Aid for Kayakers as a proposed program, with a goal of launching within the next year. Enrollment is not open and no launch date is confirmed. The proposal is separate from existing council courses; council sponsorship or approval is not claimed. See the official council WFA event listing for that event’s registration and requirements.
