Manatees are some of the most amazing mammals. They’re sweet, peaceful, and graceful. We always like to go see them when the water is cold and they head for the warmer water of the springs in Florida.
This year we thought we’d try something a bit different, we decided to head over to Crystal River to swim with them. This is one of the few places in the United States where you can legally swim with the manatees. It’s actually known as the “Manatee Capital of the World.”
There are multiple places you can book your tour of the springs with, but one stood out to us. We chose Crystal River Watersports and are so glad we did. Captain Juan, Ralph, and Mike all made us feel welcome. They really wanted to make sure everyone had a wonderful experience and truly care about making sure the manatees stay safe.
We arrived half an hour before our boat departed, and they got us sized up for our wetsuits. We all watched a video on how to make sure the manatees are safe while we swim near them. I was so grateful to Mike and the crew for taking the time to educate everyone and protect these beautiful creatures.
Once we were ready to go, we boarded the boat and were off on one of the most amazing adventures we could hope for. While we were cruising down the channels, Ralph taught us about the manatees. We were able to hold a skull replica and view the eye sockets, nasal cavity, and their teeth. Did you know that manatees have an everlasting set of teeth? When one is ground down and no longer useful it falls out and a new one pushes up from the back, which moves the rest of the teeth forward. How cool is that?
Ralph also shared how the manatees are related to elephants! We learned that the bones of a manatee are not hollow and filled with marrow like human bones. Manatee bones are solid and weigh more. Pictured below is Juliana holding the rib bone of a manatee. Manatees also have around 3% to 5% body fat–not nearly as much as we thought they would have! We really enjoyed learning all about the manatees and we truly appreciate the crew’s patience with our questions as we tried to learn more about these wonderful creatures.
On our way to go diving, we were handed our mask and snorkel. (If you’re wondering, they do get sanitized between uses.) They showed us the proper way to put them on, and we were ready to go. Once we made it to the dive site, all of us were very excited and ready to see a manatee! Now Luke and Juliana had never snorkeled before, and I haven’t snorkeled since I was about 10 years old, and that was in a pool, so we definitely needed a bit of time to adjust. Everyone was very patient with us and made sure we felt comfortable. We really need to hand it to the kids for being so brave and stepping out of their comfort zones. Luke adjusted rather quickly, and after a bit, Juliana was able to put her face in the water and swim around like everyone else in the group.
We didn’t see any manatees at the first site, but it was fun to swim around and look underwater with the mask while we got used to being in the water. We had a great time on the boat ride and laughing with some new friends, too.
After we got back on board, Captain Juan drove us to another area that was absolutely beautiful! The water was crystal clear! We were snorkeling around and they took us into this cool spring cove area. We saw fish swimming underneath us, and had so much fun!
But that was nothing compared to seeing this amazing manatee! She was incredible! Everyone in our group was respectful and gave her plenty of room to go wherever she wanted. After all, this is her home and we were just visiting. She decided to slowly swim around for a bit before she took a nap at the bottom of the water. I’m not sure I can fully explain just how amazing we thought this was. Seriously, for the whole rest of the day and a few days after, we would just say to each other, “Hey, we swam with a manatee!” While we’ve seen manatees many times before, swimming right next to them took viewing manatees to a whole new level! It was so cool!
If you’ve ever seen a manatee before, you can tell they are pretty large. We were so intrigued about how large they can get, we wanted to do some research. According to https://dolphins.org/manatee_factsheet, “Manatees are about 4-4.5 feet (1.2-1.4 m) long when they are born and average 60-70 pounds (27-32 kg). Full-grown manatees weigh between 800 to 1,200 pounds (360-545 kg) and reach 10 feet (3.0 m) in length. They can grow to be as large as 3,500 pounds (1590 kg) and 13 feet (4.0 m) in length (Ridgeway 1985).” You can tell they are pretty large when you see them from above, but actually being underwater swimming a few feet away from them, you feel dwarfed in comparison. These things are huge!
Although manatees are so large, they are gentle giants. They are so calm and peaceful. They emanate a sense of peace and tranquility around them. It was very relaxing to watch this sweet gal without a care in world.
When it was time to head back, we really enjoyed the natural beauty of the area. We could see why it’s known as the Nature Coast Region. There were alligators, herons, turtles, anhingas, and other beautiful birds to watch. We loved listening to Captain Juan as told us about the shell mounds at the Crystal River Archeological State Park and how they were related to the other shell mounds across the state. We were fascinated by the history and decided we need to take a trip to the state park to see them. Stay tuned for more about that in the near future.
We also enjoyed meeting the owner, Mike Engiles. Mike has owned Crystal River Watersports for around 12 years and this family-owned small business cares about the manatees and their environment. According to their website, “Crystal River Watersports was one of the first companies to become a member of the Save the Manatee Club Guardian Guides Program and become one of the Citrus County Eco Compliance Partners. Our adherence to the principles ensures a sound ecological experience for the guests while at the same time protecting the manatees.” You can tell Mike truly cares about protecting the manatees while ensuring everyone has an incredible experience.
In case you’re wondering, tickets for the Deluxe Manatee Adventure range from $85 to $95 per person. This includes the masks, snorkels, snorkeling vest and wetsuit. The tour is approximately 3 hours and you can also purchase the photos the guides take for around $40.
This experience was hosted by Crystal River Watersports, and we’re now proud affiliates. If you’re interested in booking one of their tours, you can use our link here: Crystal River Watersports/Traveling with the Trapps (This is an affiliate link and I may earn a small commission if you book.)
As always, all opinions are our own. We truly had an incredible experience and highly recommend their tours.
In addition to the Deluxe Manatee Adventure, they also offer: VIP and Private Manatee Adventures, Manatees & Mermaids, River Sightseeing Cruises, Sunset Cruises, Snorkeling, and Scalloping. We will definitely be back for more adventures!
Here are some of our favorite pics that our guide Ralph took:
Swimming with a manatee and snorkeling in the river was definitely one of our favorite experiences ever, and we are very grateful to Mike, Captain Juan, and Ralph for making this such a wonderful day!
You can click on this link Swimming with Manatees in Crystal River | A Family Adventure or on the picture below to view the vlog on YouTube as you watch our adventure unfold:
We hope you enjoyed traveling along with us!
If you’d like to keep exploring, you can find more family travel adventures here:
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We’ve also shared videos on our YouTube channel to complement this post and bring the experience to life.
Thanks so much for traveling with us! Stay tuned for more adventures with Traveling with the Trapps.
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