Swimming With Manatees

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I traveled to Crystal River, FL, which is located about an hour and a half northwest of Tampa. The drive is easy and pleasant and we encountered very little traffic. I chose a noon swim time so that it would be not as cold and I am just not a morning person. The outside temperature was about 75 degrees with full sunny skies. Perfect day for the swim ! I wore a wetsuit since the water would be chilly, and it made it very enjoyable. I arrived for the excursion and the check in process with the dive/boat operator was very quick. We watched a short safety video about how to behave around the manatees that was very informational, and then we were on our way !

The water was very calm this day and the short boat ride was very calming, we saw a few manatees in the water along the way. There were a decent amout of other people out swimming with them and people in kayaks but it did not feel like it was over crowded.

We slowly went down the ladder into the water and almost immediatly I saw a manatee fin pass below me to the side. What a rush !  I swam all around and encountered quite a few.

#SeaThisWorld2020

 

     

 They have a wonderful boardwalk area where you can view the manatees from above. Manatees can be seen in and around Three Sisters Springs year round, however they stay in the springs in high numbers from approx. mid November until late March. The day we were there they estimated over 100 were visible.

      

 see fun video below

 Swimming With Manatees