Give Ron a call, he'll hook you up with some good info. I'll try to answer a couple of your questions:
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Originally Posted by ahud
I'm worried about navigating the waters via kayak. Is there any good information on tides? The rivers and lakes where I live are very calm, I have not kayaked choppy water.
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If you're kayaking pay attention to the NOAA tides for the specific area you are in. The current can run pretty good around the bridges so getting in or out through there at tide changes can be difficult. If I'm fighting the tide in a kayak I'll usually go right to shore instead of through a pass and then carry it along shore. The chop shouldn't bother you... you'll get a little wet when its choppy, but you're getting in the water anyways.
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Originally Posted by ahud
It looks like all of the areas you can collect from need to be accessed via boat/kayak. Do you recommend a sit on top kayak for easy in and out at the cost of padding ease, or a sit in sea kayak?
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I've done quite a bit of snorkeling and even some diving from a kayak and paddleboard, and I would defiantly recommend a sit-on over a sit-in. If you get swamped with a wave or two (which can happen even in good weather) your sit-in will be full of water, but with a sit-on or a paddleboard the water goes right off. With that said, there are places that you can defiantly collect right from shore depending on what you are looking for and your comfort in the water. Ron can hook you up with some good spots, and I know quite a few that you can do some collecting from a kayak or shore as well.
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Originally Posted by ahud
I'm coming up short on any type of shrimp goby in Florida. The popular websites list "Indo Pacific" as the area the fish are from, which is not helpful. I know KP Aquatics collects in the Keys and they do not list any shrimp gobies on their website.
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There are no native symbiotic shrimp gobies in the Caribbean. There are pistol shrimp, but as far as I know they wont pair with the pacific shrimp gobies. That's not to say that fish don't ever pair with a goby in the Caribbean, but it's not a normal thing like it is in the Pacific.
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Originally Posted by ahud
Another thing is we are trying to decide how long to stay. We are a 12.5-hour drive so two days will be spent traveling.
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Whatever you decide, it's better to book early. September is towards the beginning of Lobster season, so thing can fill up pretty quickly.
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Originally Posted by ahud
I'm a huge cichlid fan and one of my dreams is to go collect in Peru. I'm pretty excited about the opportunity to collect and keep critters. I'll cherish those Zoas if I am lucky enough to collect and transport them safely!
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Is it just zoas that you are mainly looking to collect? Between Ron and myself we should be able to give you all the advice you need for some fun, legal collecting. PM me if you have any questions after talking to Ron.