By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Looking out to their left and to their right or straight ahead or down below, passengers on an airboat on Galveston Island can view the marine life in the Texas coastal marshlands up close.
Master Captain Hal Newsom has been taking clients out to see the marshlands on Galveston Island for about 20 years.
His narrated tour includes little interesting facts of the marshland, such as that there are some crab traps sitting down on the sand, and the marsh grass is seeded by funds collected from fishing licenses and fees.
Also, he’ll point you to the pastureland that seems to be marshland. Cattle wander onto what is a pininsula out in the marsh area and have themselves some of the salt grass.
If you are lucky, you might see a spoonbill or a stingray. When the tide is low enough, he’ll point you to look at an oyster bed, or two or three, depending on how many are visible from the surface.
Most days you will catch sight of egrets, herons, pelicans, and other marsh birds. But it’s not just the marsh life that keeps your tour interesting.
The tour is also made memorable because of the folklore and traditions of the area that Captain Hal fills you in on as you glide along. He tells you about the rules for crabbing out in the marsh and that there really are not too many alligators out in the marsh because they don’t really like salt water.
“Burns their eyes,” Captain Hal explains.
Before boarding, you’ll be required to sign a form and listen to some rules and regulations.
One thing he does point out is that the water out in the marsh is not very deep.
“It can go from one inch to up to three feet but that just depends on the tide,” Newsom said.
Now if it’s a windy day, you won’t be able to take a ride on his airboat. That’s a fact. He turns away potential passengers if the winds are up beyond a safe speed which could be according to Newsom anywhere from 12 miles an hour and up depending on the direction the winds are coming from.
Another safety feature is making sure his passengers wear the headphones he provides, which they take off when he is sharing information.
An airboat is a bit noisy, and as it approaches birds, they tend to notice and take flight, this makes for a sight for passengers to enjoy. Some of the birds don’t seem to care about the noise and continue maintaining their position in the grass or on the sand.
Basically, other than the noise factor being annoying, Newsom says his airboat is environmentally friendly.
“Airboats have no propeller in the water,” Newsom said. “We just gently glide over everything. Nothing leaks out of the boat into the water.”
Other online sources back up Newsom’s assertion that airboats don’t tear up the natural habitat.
Passengers call for an airboat ride for a variety of reasons, according to Newsom.
“I take bachelorette parties out on rides all the time,” Newsom said.
He also enjoys hosting out-of-town tourists, such as the farming family from Missouri who enjoyed an afternoon exploring the marsh.
“That was a lot of fun,” they proclaimed after their ride.
Families with children are also among Captain Hal’s passengers.
Captain Hal has a breadth of stories to share with his passengers from his lifelong work with wild and exotic animals. He’s shared some of his experiences and knowledge on TV’s “That’s Incredible” and on other television shows.
He’s also been involved in the captivating reptile shows at theme parks. At one time, he was the director of the reptile show at Galveston’s Sea-Arama. He worked in reptile shows at Astro World, Six Flags in St. Louis, and Knott’s Berry Farm in Anaheim.
His love of exotic animals extended to him opening his own store.
“I opened up the only exotic pet store in the U.S. up in Houston,” Hal shared. I had all kinds of animals — baby lions, tigers, possums, boas.”
Not only does he take passengers out on gentle airboat rides, he is also known in the region for his alligator catching talents and is called upon by several organizations to deal with removal of an alligator from unwanted locations.
One of his favorite tales is backed up on video and involves law enforcement and a pet alligator. That’s just one of his many alligator catching stories he can tell while gliding along on the marsh or while disembarking or signing in passengers.
No matter what, you can count on Captain Hal to amuse you with stories and sights to see out in the marsh. If you want to relax and just enjoy the tour, that’s an option, but if you would like to steer the boat, Captain Hal will give you that opportunity as well.
If you are interested in an airboat ride with Captain Hal, you can find more information at www.galvestonboattours.com
If you want to watch Hal Newsom in action with law enforcement wrangling
an alligator, you can find that video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ejjYh3ym7E
