Silvio Alves

Founder of XtremeGator. Florida-based, Brazilian-born. Diver, freediver, kayaker. Spends weekends in springs, mangroves, and reefs that aren't on Instagram.

About this site

XtremeGator exists because most "things to do in Florida" guides are written by people who have never gotten in the water. This one is written from years of actually doing it — every spring, reef, mangrove, and trail on the site has been visited, paddled, snorkeled, or hiked by someone on our editorial team. We update the Sea Report daily because conditions change every day. We publish in English, Portuguese, and Spanish because Florida belongs to everyone.

What I write about

• Outdoor recreation — snorkeling, freediving, kayaking, hiking, biking, surfing.
• Florida wildlife — sea turtles, manatees, alligators, the rare ones (panthers, sawfish, scrub-jays, swallow-tailed kites).
• Florida geography — springs, mangroves, coral reefs, the Everglades, the Keys, the panhandle.
• Conservation + ethics — leave-no-trace, sustainable encounters, the laws that protect what makes this place worth visiting.

Editorial standards

Every post on XtremeGator is written by a human, fact-checked against primary sources (NOAA, NPS, USFWS, FWC, state parks, peer-reviewed papers), and updated when conditions change. We don't publish AI-generated copy. We don't run sponsored posts that aren't disclosed. We don't accept money for placement on our "best of" lists.

Contact

Tip on a spot we missed? Correction? Translation feedback? Reach me through the contact page.