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Florida Men Complete Nonstop 242-Mile Paddle of the Suwannee River in 2.5 to Spotlight Wild Florida

SUWANNEE RIVER, FL — In an inspiring demonstration of endurance and purpose, six Florida men, Mason Gravley, Jordon Wolfram, Zach Franco, Bo Meyering, Robin Beemer, Daniel Weber successfully canoed the entire Suwannee River, over 242 miles, in just 2.5 days. Launching from the headwaters in Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp at daybreak on 9/26 and finishing in the Gulf at Suwannee, FL on 9/28, World Rivers Day, the group completed the nonstop journey to raise awareness for the urgent protection of this area of the Florida Wildlife Corridor, and the connection of water and land between Georgia and Florida.

Florida Men Canoe Entire 240-Mile Suwannee River in 48 Hours, 2025-09-26-28

The expedition, which began at daybreak from Stephen Foster State Park in Georgia on Friday, September 26th and concluded after sunset on Sunday, September 28th, combined grueling physical effort with a message rooted in conservation. Two of the paddlers work for Florida conservation groups. Franco, the Conservation Partnership Coordinator at Archbold Biological Station in Lake Placid; Gravley, the Impact Campaigns Manager at the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation in St. Pete.

“This wasn’t just an adventure, it was an invitation to explore our wild places,” said Gravley. “We wanted to see this iconic waterway ourselves, and share the experience with others to show what’s at stake. The Suwannee flows through some of the most intact and beautiful wildlands in Georgia and Florida, and we need to keep it that way, and there’s a tremendous amount of good work being done to protect the area in both states.”

The crew had some incredible encounters and adventures, including avoiding 200-pound jumping Suwannee Sturgeon, hallucinations from sleep deprivation, very low water levels, and heat exhaustion.

Throughout their 2.5-day push, the team paddled constantly with little to no sleep, navigating through the night under moonlight over the familiar tannin-stained waters. The journey highlighted how conservation easements, public lands, and the Florida Wildlife Corridor help safeguard the river’s flow, its floodplain forests, the wildlife that depend on them, not just here at the Suwannee River, but nearly everywhere in Florida.

“Protecting the Suwannee means protecting everything it connects,” Franco added. “This river doesn’t exist in isolation, it’s part of a living corridor that’s still vulnerable to fragmentation.”

The team’s goal was to have a real adventure on the river and spark public appreciation for the connected landscapes that make up the Corridor, especially as land loss in Florida continues as the state welcomes approximately 1,000 new residents per day.

The expedition was documented along the way through GPS tracking and updates shared on social media. It serves as one of many efforts to raise visibility for bold conservation initiatives in the state. The trio encourages anyone else seeking adventure to replicate their route and plan.

Learn more about the Florida Wildlife Corridor at floridawildlifecorridor.org and Archbold Biological Station’s work at archbold-station.org.

Mason also hosts the Florida Uncut podcast, a show dedicated to highlighting the individuals and organizations working to connect and protect wild Florida.

• Media from the adventure can be found here, here, and here.
• Detailed route of the adventure here.

For media inquiries, please contact: Mason Gravley

crossthedivide2013@gmail.com 863-528-3730

Personally, I prefer more leisurely paddles, but this certainly is impressive.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

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