Soaring Above the St. Johns River: Seaplane Adventures and Tips From a Local Pilot

“What I love about flying the river is that if you're in a seaplane, it's an endless runway,” shared Josh Sevearance. “You can go on a long adventure and never leave the water. You just follow the river and enjoy the views that come with it. It is a really fun flight."

From Boater to Seaplane Pilot: 

Growing up in Palatka on the St. Johns River, Sevearance was introduced to watersports at a young age. Tubing and kneeboarding led into wakeboarding and wake surfing, which then caused him to get his first wake boat at 17 years old. He laughed as he said, “I kind of became a River Rat.” 

His dad was a mechanic in the Air Force, and they had talked about getting their pilot’s license together for years. He also had an older friend that had a small plane. He took him up a couple of times and always told Sevearance that he’d make a great pilot, but he never moved forward with it. He said, “It was just one of those things I never really committed to starting the process. I’m always interested in new adventures though, and one day a friend of mine told me there was a seaplane that was for sale in the area. I ended up going to look at it, came back and talked to my wife about it, and three days later, I went back and bought a seaplane.”

At the time of his purchase, he didn’t even have a pilot’s license nor logged his first hour of training. He was just thrilled that he was able to get it. “It had always been a dream of mine to have a seaplane parked at the end of the dock like in Sweet Home Alabama. I just didn’t know that I could afford one, but this one was in my price range.” 

It took him a year to get licensed to fly it, but since he had a reason to be committed, he worked hard to finish the requirements. “There’s no better motivation than having a plane parked on your dock that you can’t fly,” he said.  

As a self-proclaimed River Rat that was raised on the St. Johns River, he’s excited to now have a new way to explore it. He shared, “Now being able to explore the river with a seaplane is a really great opportunity to see the area from a different perspective and still enjoy catching up with friends at the local spots.”

The Best Spots to Experience While Flying a Seaplane on the St. Johns River: 

As a local from Palatka that knows the ins and outs of the St. Johns River and its connected waterways, Sevearance has developed a couple of favorite spots. It’s hard to contain his passion for his new hobby, and he gladly invites other seaplane pilots to come explore the St. Johns River – even if you’re just flying in to grab a bite to eat. 

“We’ve flown into downtown Palatka for events or walked to Palatka Coffee and Velchoff’s. We’ve also flown into several other local restaurants like Corky Bell’s, Renegades, 3 Bananas, The Boat Bar at Welaka Lodge, and Andersen’s Lodge.” Going to the restaurants of course depends on the weather, wind, and other factors, but he enjoys visiting the local hotspots. “When we do fly into those restaurants there’s usually someone there willing to give a helping hand and assist with catching the plane so we get it tied up safely.”

If you’re hoping to hang out on the water, or take in some epic sights from a birds-eye view, he also has a couple of other suggestions for places to fly your seaplane on the St. Johns River.  

If you’re hoping to hang out on the water, or take in some epic sights from a birds-eye view, he also has a couple of other suggestions for places to fly your seaplane on the St. Johns River.

The Best Place to Hang Out and Socialize: The Sandbar:

The sandbar is located south of Brown’s Landing boat ramp, and is on the northwest corner of Murphy’s Island. 

“I think the sandbar is the easiest place for people to fly in and enjoy the St. Johns River,” said Sevearance. “The community gathers there and I enjoy flying into the sandbar to catch up with friends. All the kids always love to see a seaplane at the sandbar, so that’s really fun to put smiles on kids faces.”

It’s a popular local hangout, but the Southern hospitality is strong in Putnam County, and local boaters and seaplane pilots gladly welcome visitors. “We get visitors all of the time,” he said. “A lot of people come out there because the river offers so many places to explore. I enjoy seeing new faces out there, and the community is very welcoming.” 

He’s even started hosting an annual splash-in event at the sandbar the last Saturday of June. The next Safar Seaplane Splash-In will be happening at the sandbar on June 27, 2026.

The Best Flight for Sightseeing: The Ocklawaha River and Rodman Dam:

“One of the flights that I really enjoy is over the Ocklawaha River and the Rodman Reservoir. There’s some really cool sights and so much nature.” He said, “Those are such enjoyable flights.”

The flights over the Ocklawaha River are especially meaningful to him. He shared, “Whenever I take friends and family from out of town on that flight, I tell them that's Old Florida. All the cypress trees, the wetlands, the eagles, gators, and manatees… that's real Florida.”

He shared that there are some restricted airspaces in the south areas of the county and over the Ocklawaha due to military training in the Ocala National Forest and explained, “It's a restricted area and doesn’t seem to be active often.” However, he still encourages all pilots to call in and just check the status of the area to make sure it’s not restricted before they fly in or through there.

Tips For Getting a Seaplane Pilot’s License:

Sevearance encourages others that are interested in getting a pilot’s license to just get started, and not worry about how long it might take or how much it might cost to complete. 

“Your student pilot’s license never expires. Find a local instructor and go on a discovery flight just to make sure you enjoy it and you’re excited about it. Then work on getting your student pilot license so you can start logging hours. You don’t necessarily have to fly every weekend to knock out the hours. Whenever you want to go for a flight, you can contact them and go flying for fun. Do a little training and a little sightseeing, and log hours through the process. You can slowly work on building that time and experience,” he said.

The first step is to get a private pilot license. “From there, you would get a seaplane rating, which is typically a two-day course or 5 hours of training,” he said. “It’s a pretty easy little add-on to get your seaplane rating, which basically is just training to read the wind directions on the water, and techniques to takeoff and land on water safely depending on the conditions. Believe it or not, glassy water is the most difficult takeoff and landing due to the suction on the floats and that there’s no depth perception.”

He also shared his biggest regret, saying, “I wish I would have done it sooner.” 

His enthusiasm for flying is obvious whenever he talks about his seaplane. He also is eager to welcome other seaplane pilots to the St. Johns River. For any pilots that question landing their plane in brackish water, he said, “In Palatka, the salt content is less than half a percent salt, so it is pretty much fresh water.” Safar Seaplane Base (97FA) is actually located at his home alongside the river, and his 1947 Piper J3 Cub is parked on his dock. His plane is beside, above, and in the water often and he is enjoying the St. Johns River to the fullest. 

Sevearance’s journey on the river started by boat, and now his seaplane has taken him to the skies. He encourages other pilots to enjoy it as well, saying, “If any seaplane pilots want to come to Palatka and enjoy the river, it is always a really good time.” And if you can time your flight in to align with the Annual Safar Seaplane Splash-in on the St. Johns River, it’s an even better time!

Before your visit, make sure to download the Visit Putnam FL app for Apple or Android to learn more about the area.