Crystal River Water Sports

Elite '09

17

62

Tim B.

Boulder, CO

7/3/2007

This is one of the many manatee tour companies in Crystal River.

First things first: you will get to swim with and most likely touch a manatee. Our tour guide had been on the job for five years and said he has touched a manatee all but 5 times. So your chances are very good.

That being said, here are some tips to maximize your experience:

1. Come during manatee season.
Our tour was in July, which is not manatee season in Crystal River. The water is about 72 degrees nowadays and manatees like it 68 or below, so the manatees we encountered were "Residential" manatees, which stay in the area year round. Residential manatees can be friendlier but they are also smaller.
Also, residential manatees are more likely to hang out in the more residential areas of the shoreline, so don't expect to be diving in some remote mangrove with crystal clear water. We were diving right outside private docks 20-30 ft from people's yards and the water was pretty murky.
To sum it up, during the right season you are more likely to encounter more and larger manatees in better locations.

2. Book a private tour if you can.
Our tour was about 9 people and there were also some small children who were a bit of a distraction. They teach you to be still and quiet but you're bound to have some commotion when there are 6 adults and 3 kids with just one or two animals.

3. Go early in the morning, and go during the week.
All the tour companies will tell you that you need to get out early and they are right. The earlier the better. We went on a Sunday which also happened to be the first day of scalloping season. It was nice in the morning but around 10 AM the traffic on the water got very crowded. Can't blame the manatees for not wanting to be near a bunch of speeding boats.

4. Unless it's really hot, you'll need a wetsuit.
The spring water in the river is pretty cold. It was in the low 80s outside but we were still glad we rented the suits.

As for this particular tour company: It is one of the cheapest but it was still a great tour. Our guide was very hands-on. He was the first in the water helping everyone and you could tell that he loved his job. Even after 5 years he couldn't stop giggling whenever he was near one of the creatures.

Having not been on any other tours I don't have much basis for comparison but considering the experience and the price I can recommend it positively.

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