FLSharon
06-16-2003, 09:49 PM
Swimming with the manatees is a very unique experience. For those of you who live in Florida, know that we sometimes see them in our waterways, but have very little interaction with them. In the Crystal River/Homosassa Springs area, you can slide into the water with a mask, snorkel, and wetsuit on and just hang out to watch them. Unlike swimming with the dolphins, these manatees are in their natural habitat. This is not a controlled experience. In the winter time there are literally hundreds that hang out around the springs to keep warm. They are the “snowbird” manatees. LOL. There is a much, much smaller contingency that have chosen to remain the year around. There are rules by which you need to abide to stay out of trouble with the Fish and Wildlife Division. Among the guidelines in the video that everyone is suppose to watch are that you should not harass them, no riding them, and never try to control or restrict them. We were told that they would sometimes (and a couple did) approach me and rolled over. He/She wanted her belly scratched. The skin (?) felt like I would imagine an elephants to feel like. Sometimes they would take their flippers (for lack of a better word) and touch us. Like they were saying to scratch them. We were told to never touch their faces. Oh, in the winter time when the population is so high, they have restricted areas for them to go into when they are tired of people!
It’s very wise to spend the previous night in a motel b/c you want to be on the earliest boat that goes out. I went with a company called “Birds Underwater”. For 30/person, they take you out for about 3 / 3 ½ hr . This is the second time I’ve used them and we’ve had great luck each time. I think there were 10 of us on the boat. The first time we lucked out and there were only 5 people. These are just plain pontoon boats…nothing fancy. Frankly I saw nicer looking boats on the water, but they arrived in the area after us. If going in the winter you will be very happy to use a company that has side curtains on the boat. The water temp is a yr around 72 degrees, so in the winter when you get out of the water, you’re cold. All these companies will gladly rent gear… snorkels, masks, and fins. .. I think they cost $8 and a wet suit (mandatory) was $12 to rent. This is a snorkeling experience only. You are not allowed to dive around the manatees… and they don’t like the bubbles anyway.
We reached our boat at the requested time of 6:45 am with our swim suits and coverups on. (The chances of seeing manatees in the afternoon are very slim. Only count on going out in the morning. ) Everyone got their wetsuits on , gathered their gear, signed the waivers, and watched the video. I took drinking water, snacks, and towels on the boat. A waterproof bag is nice to have and a protected case if you wear eye glasses. On the way out to the spot some manatees, the guide gives us the procedure to follow and any other tips or instruction.
There’s no fear of sea sickness as far as the boat ride goes. This takes place in Kings Bay. It’s only a very short ride to the first place we went. The guides know where these guys hang out. They look for the snouts, bubbles, or water swirling to locate them. As soon as he spotted some manatees, he slipped into the water and there was the first manatee right by our boat! I got a couple pictures of him from the boat before I got into the water. This spot was very shallow…only around 4 ft. It was very difficult to not touch the bottom so I wouldn’t stir up the water. Visibility was so, so. A little murky but we could still see them. We saw a mother nursing a baby, one young one who wanted attention, and anther group of 3 or so who were eating.
After about an hour, he moved the boat to a second area that was deeper water (around 6-7 ft) and had several more manatees…. Maybe ten.. I don’t remember any one here who really wanted attention. I mainly swam beside them and with your ears in the water, you hear this constant crunching sound. They sure eat a lot of vegetation. It’s amazing to swim with them and just watch. Many times, we were almost face to face looking at each other in the eyes.
The third place we went is called Three Sisters. To get there, you swim up a channel that is covered with live oak trees. The water is crystal clear and filled with these gorgeous boulders. At the end of the channel it opens up to a big cove. There are three springs here and it is so beautiful.. Crystal Clear water. No manatees cause the water is just as warm outside of this area and there’s very little food to eat here. This is the place that is loaded with manatees on cold winter mornings.
We spent about 1 hr at each location. Our guide shot a 30 min video which cost $30. They use a low resolution film which makes it surprisingly clear. It’s a wonderful souvenir. He also was great at getting footage of everyone and at each location in and out of the water. We arrived back to the dock around 11 am. While waiting for our video copy we shopped in the store and stowed our gear in the car.
This is the third time I’ve done this so I knew we would need a late checkout from our hotel. This time we stayed at the Crystal River Best Western. We were given a great rate of $60 and a 1pm checkout. It’s a very popular place for it’s right on the bay, has a pool, hot tub, and within walking distance to a couple good restaurants. There is a dive shop right here too and frankly I’m not sure what they offer. We did rent boats from them awhile back and went out on our own. However I don’t think we could get a boat until 8 am. Anyhow, the late checkout is really nice if you’re leaving that day. So ask about that when you call any hotel there. Oh, there’s a really nice Crystal River Plantation that I keep intending to stay at sometime. Looks quite nice.
Down the road a couple miles is Homosassa Springs State Park. There’s boats there and a motel right next to it. It looked real nice. I wanted to check out what was offered there, but ran out of time.
Almost forgot. I asked if everyone on the boat got to touch a manatee and was shocked that two didn’t. I’m not sure why cause there was an abundance of opportunities. I think they were new at snorkeling and it even may have been their first times. I wish I had known before we left cause I think I could have helped them. My advice would be to buy or borrow a mask and snorkel and practice somewhere ahead of time.
The only thing else I have to say is that this is an unbelievable experience. I’m a scuba diver and this still the coolest thing ever to me. To be so close to these gentle giants is just the best. :lol:
Here’s the company we used, but you could google “ swim with manatees” and get lots of other sites.
http://www.birdsunderwater.com/manatee_tours/index.html
It’s very wise to spend the previous night in a motel b/c you want to be on the earliest boat that goes out. I went with a company called “Birds Underwater”. For 30/person, they take you out for about 3 / 3 ½ hr . This is the second time I’ve used them and we’ve had great luck each time. I think there were 10 of us on the boat. The first time we lucked out and there were only 5 people. These are just plain pontoon boats…nothing fancy. Frankly I saw nicer looking boats on the water, but they arrived in the area after us. If going in the winter you will be very happy to use a company that has side curtains on the boat. The water temp is a yr around 72 degrees, so in the winter when you get out of the water, you’re cold. All these companies will gladly rent gear… snorkels, masks, and fins. .. I think they cost $8 and a wet suit (mandatory) was $12 to rent. This is a snorkeling experience only. You are not allowed to dive around the manatees… and they don’t like the bubbles anyway.
We reached our boat at the requested time of 6:45 am with our swim suits and coverups on. (The chances of seeing manatees in the afternoon are very slim. Only count on going out in the morning. ) Everyone got their wetsuits on , gathered their gear, signed the waivers, and watched the video. I took drinking water, snacks, and towels on the boat. A waterproof bag is nice to have and a protected case if you wear eye glasses. On the way out to the spot some manatees, the guide gives us the procedure to follow and any other tips or instruction.
There’s no fear of sea sickness as far as the boat ride goes. This takes place in Kings Bay. It’s only a very short ride to the first place we went. The guides know where these guys hang out. They look for the snouts, bubbles, or water swirling to locate them. As soon as he spotted some manatees, he slipped into the water and there was the first manatee right by our boat! I got a couple pictures of him from the boat before I got into the water. This spot was very shallow…only around 4 ft. It was very difficult to not touch the bottom so I wouldn’t stir up the water. Visibility was so, so. A little murky but we could still see them. We saw a mother nursing a baby, one young one who wanted attention, and anther group of 3 or so who were eating.
After about an hour, he moved the boat to a second area that was deeper water (around 6-7 ft) and had several more manatees…. Maybe ten.. I don’t remember any one here who really wanted attention. I mainly swam beside them and with your ears in the water, you hear this constant crunching sound. They sure eat a lot of vegetation. It’s amazing to swim with them and just watch. Many times, we were almost face to face looking at each other in the eyes.
The third place we went is called Three Sisters. To get there, you swim up a channel that is covered with live oak trees. The water is crystal clear and filled with these gorgeous boulders. At the end of the channel it opens up to a big cove. There are three springs here and it is so beautiful.. Crystal Clear water. No manatees cause the water is just as warm outside of this area and there’s very little food to eat here. This is the place that is loaded with manatees on cold winter mornings.
We spent about 1 hr at each location. Our guide shot a 30 min video which cost $30. They use a low resolution film which makes it surprisingly clear. It’s a wonderful souvenir. He also was great at getting footage of everyone and at each location in and out of the water. We arrived back to the dock around 11 am. While waiting for our video copy we shopped in the store and stowed our gear in the car.
This is the third time I’ve done this so I knew we would need a late checkout from our hotel. This time we stayed at the Crystal River Best Western. We were given a great rate of $60 and a 1pm checkout. It’s a very popular place for it’s right on the bay, has a pool, hot tub, and within walking distance to a couple good restaurants. There is a dive shop right here too and frankly I’m not sure what they offer. We did rent boats from them awhile back and went out on our own. However I don’t think we could get a boat until 8 am. Anyhow, the late checkout is really nice if you’re leaving that day. So ask about that when you call any hotel there. Oh, there’s a really nice Crystal River Plantation that I keep intending to stay at sometime. Looks quite nice.
Down the road a couple miles is Homosassa Springs State Park. There’s boats there and a motel right next to it. It looked real nice. I wanted to check out what was offered there, but ran out of time.
Almost forgot. I asked if everyone on the boat got to touch a manatee and was shocked that two didn’t. I’m not sure why cause there was an abundance of opportunities. I think they were new at snorkeling and it even may have been their first times. I wish I had known before we left cause I think I could have helped them. My advice would be to buy or borrow a mask and snorkel and practice somewhere ahead of time.
The only thing else I have to say is that this is an unbelievable experience. I’m a scuba diver and this still the coolest thing ever to me. To be so close to these gentle giants is just the best. :lol:
Here’s the company we used, but you could google “ swim with manatees” and get lots of other sites.
http://www.birdsunderwater.com/manatee_tours/index.html