Snorkeling with Manatees in Crystal River

My nephew Kevin is completely obsessed with manatees. His parents took him to Discovery Cove in Orlando shortly after his seventh birthday. While visiting, he was lucky enough to swim with dolphins and see tons of marine life up close.

But, the animal that stole his heart was the Florida manatee. He even returned home with a stuffed manatee (named “Manny” of course).

Growing up on the West Coast, my own experiences with manatees were a little more removed. I remember the “Save the Manatees” campaigns from the 1980s spearheaded by celebrities like Jimmy Buffett.

Still, I don’t know the I ever saw a live manatee. If I did, it was probably at a dark aquarium, and it clearly didn’t make the same impression on me that it left on Kevin.

There’s no good hiking in Florida

Fast forward a few decades when I found myself spending the month of December in Florida. Despite the terrific winter weather, I was at a real loss on how to spend my time.

My favorite outdoor activity is hiking. But there’s no mountains (or even modest hills) to hike in Florida. Every “hike” I went on in the Sunshine State amounted to nothing more than a casual walk. Thus, I had to shift gears and look for other outdoor activities to fill my time.

The natural solution was to look to the water. While kayaking the turquoise water near a natural spring and looking at the fish below, my mind started wandering. And I began thinking about how interesting it would be to take a closer look at Florida’s manatees.

After a little research, I discovered we were staying just a short drive away from Kings Bay – where there’s a manatee refuge.

Where to find manatees

During the winter months, wild manatees on the west side of Florida search for warmer waters and head to Kings Bay. From there, they swim up into the Crystal River to find one of the 70 natural springs emitting water from the Florida aquifer.

There are approximately 6,000 wild manatees in Florida’s waters, and more than 1,000 of them are in and around King’s Bay Refuge. Between November and April, this is the world’s largest aggregation of manatees in a natural environment.

There are numerous tours that cater to visitors who want to see these gentle mammals up close. If you want to stay dry, you can walk out onto boardwalks near Three Sisters Springs. And throughout much of the year, you can kayak on the water near them.

During the winter season, however, the best way to see the manatees is in the water with a snorkeling tour. As a frequent scuba diver, I was immediately interested in this option. So, I booked all three of us for a 10 am snorkel trip.

Manatee Manners

Before letting you into the water with the manatees, your tour guide will show you an informative video on manatee manners. This video from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service shows you many of the do’s and don’ts to ensure all members of your group understand the laws and rules around these protected animals.

The bottom line of the video is swimmers should move slowly and quietly so they don’t disturb or disrupt the animals.

When snorkeling near manatees, the objective is to passively observe them in their natural environment. Thus, you should avoid kicking, splashing, or making excessive noise.

You are not permitted to touch or interact with the manatees unless they initiate the interaction. You are also prohibited from poking, cornering, chasing, or feeding them.

As a result, your manatee experience should be tranquil and enjoyable for both the snorkeler and these gentle giants as they enjoy their winter in the river.

Snorkeling with manatees

The morning we went to snorkel with the manatees, it was barely 50 degrees outside. Although the water stays around 72 degrees, we ended up wearing two wetsuits apiece to make sure we didn’t get hypothermia after we got out of the water.

The tour company we booked our trip with specializes in small groups, so it was just the three of us and our guide in the water. The first manatee we spotted was a juvenile hovering near a bunch of buoys on the edge of a swimming area. Given its size, we knew the mother would likely be nearby. After a little searching, we found the adult manatee and went in for a swim.

After spending some time with this manatee, we decided to move on. We slowly swam over to Jurassic Spring to find a small group of manatees near the warm water. With just the four of us in the group, we had ample room to move around them and observe them from different angles.

Even though they appeared to be sleeping, they would slowly come to the surface to get more air. One of the manatees became engaged while we were there, swimming around, rolling onto its back, and coming right up to us.

It was completely surreal to watch these animals underwater, and I can now completely understand why my nephew was so entranced by them.

Want to know about snorkeling with manatees? Check out the following resources:

• Manatee Manners video (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)
• Fun2Dive Manatee Tour Operator (tour we booked and would recommend)
• Three Sisters Springs (boardwalk and kayaking for those who don’t want to get wet)
• Map of Manatee Refuge in Kings Bay