Reviving this thread because I’ll be in the Everglades tomorrow.
I am undecided on clothing: Long pants vs. shorts? Long sleeves vs. short? Nekkid?
Also, I’m assuming bug spray is a no-brainer, even in February?
Thanks,
mmm
Is there a reason no one has mentioned Burmese pythons?
[Not trying to discourage Mean Mr. Mustard or anything…]
Yes, bug spray is a no-brainer, even in February. Check local weather for temps to gauge what kind of clothing you’ll be comfortable in. Nekkid is probably not advisable, so as not to scare the gators, but short pants/sleeves vs. long = personal preference. You might consider layers, shorts under lightweight, loose pants, t-shirt under a sweatshirt. You can always peel off a layer. Or bring extra stuff in the car.
I’ve done a couple of airboat tours in the Glades and pretty much did it in shorts and t-shirts, but I live here. I have a nice base tan, use sunscreen religiously, and have become immune to the heat and humidity. Also, once the airboat gets moving, you don’t get bit up much. If you’re doing walking tours, then spray down with bug spral and make sure whatever you’re using is 30% DEET or more. Anything less and you’ve wasted your money. I like the Army/Navy surplus 100% DEET bugspray, but if you are reproductive age, that stuff might give you children with flippers or something someday. 
YMMV. Bring water. Drink a lot more than you think you need to.
I had some inside connections in that business (admittedly, 25 years ago and somewhat marginal), so I know a little about it. I don’t dispute that there’s some dark side out there, but it not all like that by any means. Here’s one point to think about: Captive dolphins and pinnipeds usually live longer than wild ones, due to the medical care they get. The biggest killer of wild marine mammals and pinnipeds is infestation with internal parasites, which they get from eating raw wild fish, which are basically 100% infested. Captive animals are fed fish that has been frozen, which kills the parasites (they say, anyway). I went to various industry-insider conferences and symposia where they presented papers on subjects like this.
It depends a lot on attitudes and philosophies – One area of controversy deals purely with the ethics of taking these animals captive and keeping them in watery cages all their lives, far from their natural habitat. Another area of controversy, of course, has to do with the allegedly awful treatment they get from big entertainment corporations who are exploiting them horridly just to make a lot of bucks. This is heavily regulated in the United States at least. I’ve been present at some of the inspections that they do (a University inspector, I think, whose job was to keep the University on the right side of the laws).
ETA: And I’ve read a lot of books by others in the industry. Check these out:
– Lads Before the Wind by Karen Pryor.
– The Porpoise Watcher by Ken Norris.
– Thinking Dolphins, Talking Whales by Frank Robson (set in New Zealand).