Of Air Boats, Alligators and Swamp Tales

The aluminum air boat moved as slowly as the thick August air as we navigated the no-wake zone and our captain described his plan for the rest of the morning. Reaching the end of the canal, the engine roared and we shot across the open pond past great herons, snow-white egrets, jumping fish, small islands and narrow canals. We slowed, then slid roughly, climbing to the top of a small levee. We paused at the apex, then with another quick roar the air boat dipped into the water and glided smoothly at the edge of a cypress swamp.

Our deeply-tanned guide stepped down from his elevated pilot’s chair and walked to the front of the boat, standing nearest two visitors from Hawaii who had cameras at the ready.  

“Manger poulet.  Manger poulet,” the guide yelled in Cajun French. (Pronounced, mon-zjay poo-lay, translated as, eat chicken). One hand waved and the other displayed a small piece of raw chicken.

Tall grass began moving near the boat. The long, dark, scaled snout of an alligator slowly emerged – then the head, then the body, and more body, and the tail and more tail and more tail.

Like a Cajun Santa calling a cute cartoon gator in the Cajun Night Before Christmas, Captain Craig Matherne greeted the prehistoric apex predator by name as the flipped his powerful scaled tail and launched himself onto the boat’s bow for his own swamp bow. And that’s how we met Lucky Pierre, the first of many gators and other swamp creatures we encountered roaming the multi-colored marsh and cypress swamps southwest of New Orleans with Captain Craig.

Why Tour Here?

The river parishes, bayou towns and swamps surrounding New Orleans are home to abundant wildlife and legendary characters.  Following US Highway 90 from New Orleans to Lafayette takes you right through the heart of this Louisiana swamp country. Located approximately 30 miles southwest of New Orleans, the fishing village of Des Allemands is a great place to experience an airboat ride that combines swamp sightseeing, local tales, and close-up encounters with alligators. That’s where we signed on for a 90-minute airboat tour through Airboat Tours by Arthur.

Des Allemands is my home town. The French name translates as “the Germans” and the area is a unique part of Louisiana’s German Coast. Here, shiploads of German immigrants began settling in the 1720s, followed in the 1760s by French families who migrated from Nova Scotia after a dispute with the English rulers of Canada. Establishing footholds on the soil and swamps of the Mississippi flood plain, they traded with Caribbean islanders, Native Americans of the Houmas and Choctaw tribes, and even Jean Lafitte’s pirate band that used the local waterways and a shell mound called The Temple for smuggling.  Eventually, the diverse cultures fused into a community as rich in tradition as the local swamp is in nutrients supporting broad biodiversity.  

Before oil refineries and chemical plants sprouted on the banks of the Mississippi in the 1950s and 1960s, families either farmed the dark soil nearest the river or depended on the bounty of the swamps and marshes for their livelihoods. Growing up here, our family owned a pleasure boat and we frequently spent weekends at fishing camps near Lake Des Allemands, the fresh water source for the surrounding swamps and marshes, and Lake Salvador, the brackish barrier to the South.  We set fishing lines and crab traps, feasting on the fresh catch while resting from water skiing and swimming.

Thus, while I was familiar with the area, I had lived out-of-state for more than 30 years, so my summer-time visit back home provided a great opportunity to reconnect with the area and some old friends.  I chose Airboat Tours by Arthur because it’s locally owned, has access to privately-owned marsh lands, canals and cypress swamps, and works with locals like Captain Craig who intimately know the territory. (While his tours are great, Arthur ain’t exactly web-savvy, so the best way to book is to call:  985-758-5531)

Captain Craig: Naturalist and Storyteller

Captain Craig might best be described as an entrepreneurial naturalist, combining love for his native South Louisiana environment with responsible business ventures. His roots run deep, as his dad was born on a houseboat on Bayou Des Allemands, and an artificial reef in Lake Pontchartrain is named in honor of Vincent Matherne’s conservation contributions.  Craig managed his family’s boat and marine business, operated fishing charters in Grand Isle, is a licensed waterway pilot and frequently serves as a technical consultant on university, government and private environmental and conservation research projects.

In addition to his expertise in the local natural environments, Captain Craig is knowledgeable about Cajun history and a master of swamp lore, as evidenced by his non-stop, Cajun-accented narration at every tour stop. So when he’s not calling gators from the marsh, tempting them onto the boat, or petting them on their snouts, Craig’s likely deep into some story about natural habitat, the swinging dating lives of alligators, real-life Cajun characters or regional folk lore.

Just over half-way through our tour, Captain Craig navigated the boat deep into a huge stand of ancient cypress trees. High above in the canopy, he pointed out an active bald eagle’s nest. As he completed a botanically-accurate rendition of how the cypress stand was created, the swamp rustled as a slight breeze stirred the heavy air. An air-borne mullet splashed into the channel behind us. Craig looked, then stared deeply into the surrounding brush, concern etched on his face. Whispering, he asked our Hawaiian visitors to keep watch for the Rougarou, a half Big Foot, half werewolf swamp-dwelling creature known well to the locals.

A good laugh and half-minute later, Craig was relating the full story of the Rougarou, and sharing its origin stories from the European werewolf and tracing it through the Caribbean Islands legend of an old woman in league with the devil, the Loupgarou. Believe me, if you’ve ever been on a tour where a guide read from a script or simply went through memorized motions, you’ll truly appreciate the down-home authenticity of Captain Craig.

Gators Galore

But let’s face it, for anyone who’s ever watched an episode of Swamp People on History Channel, the alligators are the main attraction of this tour. Ironically, they were nearly wiped out here by the side effects of DDT, once the area’s go-to insecticide that also destroyed the egg shells of native gators and the Louisiana state bird, the pelican. After a DDT ban and time on the endangered and protected species lists, both gators and pelicans have returned in large numbers here. Gators are nocturnal, so on an evening tour after eggs are hatched in late summer, it’s not unusual to spot hundreds of gator eyes reflecting their eerie red glow from the water’s surface. On this hot August day while most of the cold-blooded behemoths were chilling in deep holes, we spotted approximately 10 large gators, including Lucky Pierre. Later, we met Louise, a 9-footer estimated to be 30 to 35 years old, with teeth rubbed down to small nubs from years of biting and fighting.  Unfortunately for us, Big Al and Big Bubba, two of the largest gators measuring over 12 feet, remained hidden from our boat.

While Captain Craig coaxed three gators to come closer with his calls and the promise of chicken, luring gators definitely falls into “don’t-try-this-at-home” category. They are lightning fast over short distance, and adults pack a bone-crunching 2,500-pound-per-square-inch snapping force. And while alligators have two sets of eye lenses adapted for optimum viewing in the murky swamp water, their prehistoric brains don’t allow them to process subtle differences between chicken thrown to them and the hands throwing it. And despite the small amount of chicken they get from the tours, huge hungers require them to continue wild hunting to survive.  I’ll also note that feeding gators in the wild is illegal, and that the gators on our tour only could be fed because they are on private lands.

Know Before You Go

The Real Deal. If you need a bit more convincing, Captain Craig has posted some pictures and videos of his tours and gator encounters. You can preview them before you go – or visit after your tour if you just can’t get enough gator time — on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Also, we learned at the end of our tour from landowner Ray Matherne that part of his property would be hunted for gators during the upcoming season. You won’t see this location on Swamp People and the area we toured shouldn’t be affected by the hunting.

Local restaurants. Once you’re outside of New Orleans, local restaurants come down in price and up in authenticity. The original location of Spahr’s Seafood in Des Allemands is located in a converted Exxon station and serves some of the best local catfish from the Catfish Capital of the Universe. Also, if it’s available, check out the turtle soup. And though after 25-pluse years in the restaurant business I still find this hard to say, a regional convenience store called Birdies Fuel and Food has some of the best fish and shrimp poboys I’ve ever eaten, and at a bargain price. Another nearby favorite in Boutte is Cajun Kitchen, again with prices not inflated by New Orleans overhead.

Buying local seafood. Where once you could drive along the bayou road and find fresh-caught catfish, shrimp and crabs sold directly off the boat, food safety and licensing requirements make that difficult – if not impossible – for out-of-town visitors.  A local might give you a recommendation on where to find some. Otherwise, Hebert’s Seafood in Boutte offers a good variety of fresh, in-season local favorites.

Destrehan Plantation. If you want a break from New Orleans but only have a day, plan to visit Destrehan Plantation in the morning, then take an airboat tour in the afternoon.  Destrehan is the oldest plantation on the Mississippi and is well-restored. For ghost and pirate hunters, Destrehan Plantation has the best of both worlds – alleged ghost sightings of Pirate Jean Lafitte under the broad oaks where slave auctions once were conducted.

Jean Lafitte National Park. For more Cajun culture and experiences, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve is a multi-location treasure featuring different aspects of Louisiana life. In nearby Thibodaux, the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center often features a wide range of south Louisiana’s music: zydeco, gospel, blues, jazz, Cajun, and more. Historic walking tours and boat rides also are available.  Further into Cajun Country in Lafayette, the park’s Acadian Cultural Center tells stories of the origins, migration, and culture of the Acadians who became known as Cajuns.

Other Adventures You Might Like

If you enjoyed this post, here are a few of our others with similar tour and activity themes you may also enjoy:

Remembering Des Allemands Retail Stores. A growing-up story from this small fishing town in South Louisiana.

Love’n Lobster’n on the Lulu. After growing up in Louisiana, we had to check out lobster fishing while on a cruise stop in Bar Harbor, Maine. We chronicle the outing, and our adventures in lobster eating.

Salmon Fishing Lessons in Alaska.We heard from friends and neighbors that salmon fishing was a “must-try” while in Alaska. While in Ketchikan, we booked a half-day excursion that turned out to be much more than expected.

We Rented and RV! Now What? On a whim, we packed our family of three plus adult children and grandkids into a rented RV for a weekend get away. Here’s what we learned.