Having traveled the Gulf of Mexico area for most of my life, I have had a fascination with manatees. With the quarantine, we have spent a good amount of time watching documentaries and this has been one of my kids’ favorite topics. We were thrilled when my boyfriend surprised us with a swim-with-manatees trip with Crystal River Manatees.
Manatees are large, herbivorous, aquatic mammals. Manatees are known as sea cows and are often injured by boat propellers. These gentle giants are endangered. They are found in warm bodies of water. This makes swimming with manatees in the cold months of the year such a treat. They often gather in warm water artesian springs. These springs are clear and make viewing them so easy.
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We went in early November, and it was just before they started to gather. We met our guide, Crystal River Manatees, at King’s Bay Park in Crystal River, Florida. As soon as we pulled out of the dock, we saw the characteristic swirling water that is associated with a manatee tail and saw several manatees next to the shore. Soon, we saw them everywhere so our guide put us in the water.
Admittedly, this was a little daunting. There was tall reedy grass that the manatees love to eat that touches your feet as the depth varies from about two to 15 feet. We agreed that this part was a 10 for fun and a six for scary. You never get stronger if you don’t try things that are a little daunting. Not long after we all got in the water, a mother and calf swam right under my kids and me bumping our feet as they went. We stayed in this darker water for about two hours and interacted with at least eight manatees, including Violet and me being pushed about 10 feet by a female.
Interacting with these gentle giants in their own environment is one of the most fun and challenging things that we did as a family.
We then went to Three Sisters Spring. This is a protected area inside of the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. You can only float in on a kayak or swim into this area. This is an artesian spring with crystal clear waters.
The manatees typically go in here in the hundreds as the waters elsewhere in the Gulf get cold. We were not lucky enough to see one in there on our trip, but our friends went two weeks later and there were a dozen in there. This is truly a fun adventure that is relatively new; it had previously been banned to swim with manatees. Being able to interact with animals safely is a valuable experience to share with your family.
