Capt. Ron Hagerman

Capt. Ron Hagerman has spent his working life on the water between Marco Island, Goodland and Everglades City.

In 1987 he started guiding waverunner tours in the 10,000 Islands [CONFIRM 'pioneered']. What began as a one-hour ride became long mangrove-and-backcountry runs through bays, oyster bars and narrow trails that most charts show as empty green. He has led those rides himself for nearly forty years, and now also guides owners who bring their own ski and need someone who knows the bottom.

These waters are shallow, wind-driven and unforgiving of a bad read. A north or northeast breeze over about 15 mph can hold tide out of Pumpkin Bay and leave less water than the station shows. A south wind holds it in. Sand and oyster bottom shift after a blow. Summer storms are born inland, held east by the sea breeze, then march toward the coast late in the day. Ron treats those facts as operating rules, not scenery. Safety is the first briefing, not the last: he checks that riders can handle the ski before the group leaves the dock.

He keeps CPR and First Aid current and carries a full medical kit on the water.

Capt. Ron's Navigation is the read he has used for decades, written so another captain can use it: a clear GO, Caution or NO GO, with the wind, tide, storm timing and best window behind it. The tool informs the decision. It doesn't replace it.