There are so many different things to do in Florida all over the state that it’s hard to see and do it all even when you live here. But one popular bucket list item is to swim with manatees in Crystal River. Crystal River is about an hour and twenty minutes north of Tampa and a small Florida town situated on the West Coast. So why is it so popular? Crystal River happens to be the only place in North America where you can legally swim with manatees.
My parents were in town for Thanksgiving, which just happens to be at the start of manatee season and swimming with manatees was a birthday wish my mom had. So we went off to Crystal River to make it happen.
About Crystal River
Crystal River is an actual river, but it’s also a small town. So when people say they want to swim with manatees in Crystal River, they are talking about the area. As you’ll see in the map below, the river called Crystal River connects the Gulf of Mexico with Kings Bay, which is the body of water that the city of Crystal River is next to. So you won’t be swimming in the river, you’ll be swimming in the bay or the springs that feed into the bay.
The town itself is pretty small and quaint with the major draw being the manatees and waterways around the area. You’ll see lots of manatee related things all over Crystal River. Because there are so many manatees in the area, the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1983 to protect them. Crystal River is also referred to as the Manatee Capital of the World, so it’s no wonder that so many people head here to experience swimming with manatees.
Kings Bay
Kings Bay is the large bay that the town of Crystal River is next to and that the river Crystal River connects to. It’s a fresh water bay fed by over 70 natural springs that stays a consistent 72º year round. The warm water in Kings Bay provides a winter haven for hundreds of manatees each year. In fact, Kings Bay has the highest concentration of manatees in a natural area in the world.
You’re more likely to see them in the winter months since they are migratory animals. They come up from the Gulf of Mexico through Crystal River and then into Kings Bay and the surrounding springs. Access to the springs is essential for their survival so they can conserve energy and stay warm during the colder months in Florida.
Kings Bay has 3 levels of protection for manatees. It’s a National Wildlife Refuge, a Manatee Refuge and a Manatee Sanctuary which restricts certain activities. Keep an eye out for posted areas and enclosed areas.
There are temporary sanctuaries within Kings Bay that are closed to the public during the winter. (Most of these are the beautiful springs like below.)
Three Sisters Springs
Three Sisters Springs is one of the most popular places to go to see manatees within Kings Bay. The spring by itself has beautiful crystal blue water and is a shallow area for swimming. It’s closed during manatee season to swimmers/water craft as manatees will head here during those months.
Manatee Season in Florida
The Florida Manatee is a subspecies of the West Indian Manatee and are native to Florida. Manatee Season in Florida generally runs from November 15th through March 31st but can be extended if necessary. During this time, you’re more likely to see them in the springs and swimming or resting in the bay.
You also don’t have to swim with them to see them. You can kayak in the bay, take a boat ride or walk along the boardwalk at Three Sisters Springs, where you can see them in the crystal clear water.
Manatees, or Sea Cows, are gentle animals even though they are usually 9-10ft long and the average manatee weighs between 800-1200 lbs. Our guide said that as babies, they can gain a pound a day for a year!
They can live in fresh or salt water but need to drink fresh water every three days. They can also stay under water for 15-20 minutes when they are resting. You’ll see their little noses break the surface of the water when they come up for air. Another fun fact our guide told us: they can feel a heartbeat from 50 feet away.
Manatees are protected by several laws: the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act. When you swim with manatees, you’ll need to follow the “Manatee Manners” to ensure you abide by the rules.
Manatee Manners
- Use Passive Observation – calmly observe manatees from a distance and don’t initiate contact. If you abide by this rule, you shouldn’t have any issues.
- Remain Calm – If a manatee approaches you, remember to remain calm and continue to passively observe. They may come right up to you!
- One-handed Touch – In Citrus County, you ARE allowed to touch a manatee with one hand. If they approach you, you can gently touch them with one hand on the back or stomach. You are NOT allowed to touch them with two hands.
- Swim Quietly – When swimming with manatees, you’ll want to swim quietly and slowly so you aren’t splashing or making excessive noise that will disturb them. Do not swim over manatees and manatees always have the right of way in the water.
You’ll be required to watch a video on the rules before heading out on the water and your guide is there to inform you along the way as well.
Refuge Rules:
- Do not disturb or touch manatees who are resting or feeding (resting manatees will be nearly motionless and can be found resting at the surface of the water, submerged under water or at the bottom of the water)
- Do not surface dive on manatees who are resting or feeding
- No chasing, surrounding or harassing manatees at any time
- No feeding/riding/holding/etc manatees at any time
- No engaging a tagged manatee or any gear
- Do not interfere with rescues or research activities
Swim with Manatees in Crystal River
To swim with manatees in Crystal River, you can either take a guided tour or rent a paddle board/kayak to get out in the bay by yourself. However, if you don’t want to worry about logistics, gear and navigation, taking a tour is your best option.
Manatee Tours
My family and I opted for taking a tour so that we could go with a guide, get some more information and not have to worry about the logistics of navigating the bay. We also decided to go in the morning since they are most active in the early hours of the day. And we figured it was probably when the bay would be the least crowded with other boats and tours.
We went with a tour called Fun2Dive and showed up a little bit before our tour at 7:30am. You’ll need to make sure and watch the Manatee Manners video before arriving, sign your waivers and get fitted for a wetsuit.
Once our tour guide was ready, we hopped into a van and took a short drive down to the marina where the boat was for our tour. We ended up doing a semi-private tour that consisted of 6 total people (my family being 4 of them). While it’s a little more expensive, we thought it would be a nicer experience in a smaller group. And it was also the only one available at that time, ha.
On the boat
The tour provides you with all the gear that you’ll need: a wetsuit, snorkel, goggles and float. Once we were on the boat, we took a short ride out to the bay. Our tour was bright and early and it happened to be during one of Florida’s first cold fronts for the season. Which can be a good or bad thing.
Colder temps is obviously better for spotting manatees as they will be coming into the bay for warmth, but that means we were pretty cold ourselves. The wetsuits were absolutely necessary to keep us warm.
There are several areas that are more popular for manatees to be within the bay. Most tours will slowly drive around to those areas and stop the boat if there are any sightings. The first spot we got to had many resting manatees near the edge of the water. All those little spots in the picture below are manatees–imagine waking up to all of these in your backyard!
Our boat pulled up to this area and we immediately spotted some moving about in the water. Because it was so early, we were the only boat out on the water and the only people there were a couple of paddle boarders.
Our guides let us off one by one slowly into the water where we had our noodle to float on. The manatees nearby were very curious and immediately swam up to the boat. I was midway down the ladder when I stopped and just watched as it swam by me.
Manatee Swim
Once you’re in the water, you’re supposed to passively observe and not engage with them unless they engage with you first. And even though you’re there to see them, you never know how they will react–if they’ll be curious or just go on their way.
When we got in the water, the manatees around us were instantly curious. We didn’t have to wait to see them because they came right up to us and were swimming around. Our guide was there to help us stay calm when they swam next to us. While manatees are very gentle animals, they’re still 1,000+ lbs. Swimming with them can be a little unnerving because of how big they are.
One tip for when you swim with manatees: braid your hair or secure it up. I got in the water with my hair just down and loose. It gets tangled anyway with just snorkeling, but I don’t know if the manatees thought it looked like seagrass or something but they were a little too interested in it.
Usually, your tour will take you to different areas in the bay to try and find manatees, but we had seen several in the one area so we didn’t end up going anywhere else.
It was also a good thing that we had on a wetsuit, because the water was COLD. Like I said before, we were there on a Florida cold front and the weather (and water) was very cold. It took me quite awhile to stop shaking once back on the boat.
We were handed hot chocolate to try and warm up on our way back. I don’t think we even stayed out the entire time of our tour because everyone was satisfied, cold and ready to head back.
Tour Options
We ended up going with Fun2Dive on our tour and had a great experience! They won a ‘Traveler’s Choice Award’ on Trip Advisor.
Cost: the average tour cost about $70-90 depending on who you go with and the size of the tour
Photos: Our guide took pictures throughout the tour and they were available for an additional cost at the end. Photos are sent on a link right away!
Self-guided Manatee Tour
If you don’t want to take a tour, you can also explore on your own either by renting a boat or a kayak/paddle board. You’ll also want to follow the same manatee manners of passive observation.
For self-guided tours, most people will likely opt for renting a kayak or paddle board. The people you’re renting from can show you a map and point out good places to go. Just keep in mind that the bay is not that small and it can be a workout getting to and from the public launch. If the springs are already closed for the season, then you’ll be navigating Kings Bay with the boats.
Boaters have their own rules and must be familiar with the bay and the zoning areas as Kings Bay is home to manatees year round. Many manatees are killed or injured by boaters every year, so it’s essential to follow the boating and manatee rules. Another threat to manatees is the loss of habitat to seagrass beds. So boaters will need to know boating etiquette when going over seagrass beds.
Things to Know
- Are there alligators in Crystal River? Yes, there are alligators in Crystal River as they can live in any fresh body of water in Florida. However, alligators tend to stay away from the busy places and are more likely to be in the swampier areas. Will you see alligators when you go swim with manatees in Crystal River? It’s very unlikely, but in Florida, you can never say never. Most guides will help put your mind at ease.
- Wetsuits are required when swimming with manatees on a tour. It not only helps keep you warm but helps with buoyancy too. Just because the springs stay ‘warm’ does not mean they will always feel warm.
- What about the crystal clear water? When you swim with manatees in Crystal River, your guide will be taking you to different spots within Kings Bay. Many of those spots are not the beautiful crystal clear water. In fact, most of those springs can close during manatee season so they aren’t disturbed. If the springs aren’t closed, you may get to swim into one of the clearer springs which may or may not have manatees at the time. It just depends!
What to Bring
- Swimsuit – you’ll be putting on a wetsuit immediately, so it’s best if you just wear it under your clothes to your tour place.
- Towel – you might want this on the boat as well but you’ll definitely want one when you come back and take your wetsuit off.
- Change of clothes – for when you’re back and can change out of your suit.
- Flip flops/water shoes – you’ll be sopping wet when you get off the boat, so bring shoes that can get wet and dry fast.
- Dry bag – to keep all your stuff dry!
Where to Stay
Crystal River is a small Florida town–not necessarily what you picture when you think of Florida. We drove to Crystal River from Orlando when it was already dark outside and at first, it looked like we might be heading to a field. We were minutes away from out hotel and still were in the middle of nowhere with no city lights around us. You’ll find the familiar chain hotels and some home rentals, but options are a little limited.
- Crystal River Inn – $ Boutique Hotel
- Plantation on Crystal River – $$ Resort
- Holiday Inn Express – $
- Hampton Inn – $$
- Best Western – $
- Quality Inn – $
The home rentals are just as much as hotels, if not more, and don’t really make sense unless you are booking for a larger group.
Where to Eat
I sort of wish we stayed a little longer so we could try more of the restaurants. We were told there were several great seafood places in the area to check out.
We ended up eating at a place called: Cajun Jimmy’s Seafood Seller and Cafe. The seafood was great. We tried one of their speciality dishes that was a cajun crawfish and alligator mac and cheese, and it was so good! (If you’ve never tried alligator before, you will definitely find it on menus in Florida.)
Other restaurants that were recommended to us:
What to Do Next
- Three Sisters Springs – If you don’t have access to a boat or water craft, you can take a short bus to the boardwalk of Three Sisters Springs. It’s a beautiful crystal blue spring that the manatees love!
PIN IT FOR LATER
This is such a detailed post! I’m saving it for future Florida trips 🙂
So cool! What an experience. I’d love to swim with manatees!
I’d like to see boardwalk of Three Sisters Springs with my two sisters. I think we would love the beautiful crystal blue spring that the manatees love!