A mangrove wetlands are neither swamp nor forest but something in-between.

My UK editor could not fathom why my characters were using a kayak to travel through a forest.

She asked whether the mangrove forest was a woods or a swamp. The simple answer is neither and both.

If you arrive in a mangrove forest at a extremely low tide, you will see the arching roots anchored in sand. If you arrived in a kayak, you would likely bottom out.

In a rising tide, all that is visible are the tops of the roots, the tree trunks and branches. In a high tide, even the tops of the roots might submerge, but the trunk never does, except briefly during tropical storms. The root system keeps the tree above the water and allows the roots to get enough oxygen in ground that has little to none.

These special trees tolerate the brackish water, provide nesting rookeries for birds, nurseries for baby fish (including sharks) and protect the coast against erosion and storms. They are incredibly special, important and protected vegetation.