Hi Mark,
Actually it is quite safe to canoe/kayak in Okefenokee. While kayaking, I just saw one alligator sunning itself. I did not approach it too closely :). But there was this weird cold front that moved in, and that sort of made the alligators quite inactive.
I kayaked for all the days I was there. On the last day, it was raining. So kayaking in the rain turned out to be quite a neat experience.
