Quantcast Any recommendations on companies to swim with manatees in Crystal River?
 
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2001
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    Default Any recommendations on companies to swim with manatees in Crystal River?

    On our way to Orlando, we are staying a couple of nights in Crystal River and swimming with the manatees in Crystal River/Homassassa Springs area. I need recommendations for dive companies or ones to avoid. We would like to spend extra and do a private tour, if possible. It has been over 20 years since I have been, so I don't know what to expect.
    Call me Mary...

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
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    Last I heard, it is illegal to swim with/interact with manatees in FL. They can come to you, but you aren't supposed to reach out to them.
    It is my dream to one day pilot the monorails around the Seven Seas Lagoon....where's my star!!!

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    Yeah, swim but not touch. I don't care much for swimming in gator water though..
    ===================

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  5. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by texas211 View Post
    Yeah, swim but not touch. I don't care much for swimming in gator water though..
    Yes, the guides simply know where to take you so you can get in water and snorkel on top to observe the manatees swimming nearby. In the winter months, the manatees seek the warm, spring-fed waters north of Tampa. They have had these amazing eco-tours for decades and really push to educate the public on preservation and protection.

    Trust me, I am not looking to harm or break laws. I just think it is an amazing experience I did as a teen, now I want my 15 year old to experience also.
    Call me Mary...

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    POP Oct. '11


    Up next a last minute trip to POR after a very LONG break from WDW! Feb. 2018!

  6. #5
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    I'm not judging about the manatee thing, other than swimming in gator infested waters.. Plus the snakes, aggressive fish species.
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  8. #6
    Join Date
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    Some of us Floridians are a wild, crazy, adventurous group. I grew up swimming in those water because my grandfather lived in that area. I remember often swimming on one side of the river bank while gators crested on the other. Thinking back on those memories freaks me out now, as an adult and a Mom. I also recall boating along Crystal River and seeing the manatees casually eating below our boat. My grandfather was a private, commercial fisherman and he knew where all the good spots were.

    Crazy or not, I'm glad to have those memories and it'll be a neat experience for you to share this with your daughter.
    Genna
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  9. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by magicofdisney View Post
    Some of us Floridians are a wild, crazy, adventurous group. I grew up swimming in those water because my grandfather lived in that area. I remember often swimming on one side of the river bank while gators crested on the other. Thinking back on those memories freaks me out now, as an adult and a Mom. I also recall boating along Crystal River and seeing the manatees casually eating below our boat. My grandfather was a private, commercial fisherman and he knew where all the good spots were.

    Crazy or not, I'm glad to have those memories and it'll be a neat experience for you to share this with your daughter.
    Oh I think that's great, and sounds like a lot of fun... But you were in a boat Not in the water, with a gator behind you.

    We've been all through Florida. Love it. Love Texas more. But really enjoy the outdoors in Fla.
    ===================

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    2012 POR
    2012 WDW-Offsite
    2011 ASMusic, POR

    1998 Dixie Landings
    1990's, Dixie Landings, Misc Offsite

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