Spotlight: Florida - Snorkel With Manatees Tour

Spotlight: Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge in western Florida is an 80-acre refuge consisting of 20 islands and several parcels of land along the Florida coast. It was established in 1983 to protect the West Indian Manatee, and is closed to humans from Nov. 15-March 31. Visitors can still view manatees in their natural setting from boats or in water outside the refuge's boundaries. We took the Snorkel With Manatees Tour from nearby Homosassa Springs with Captain Gene.

Location: The Snorkel With Manatees Tour office is located at 4155 S. Suncoast Blvd, Homosassa, FL

Cost: $60/person (includes snorkeling equipment and wetsuit rental)

Time: 3 - 3 1/2 hours (8:00 am & 11:30 am daily)

Description: When we first arrived for our tour, we checked in, paid, and rented an underwater camera (with our card inside). Then we watched an orientation video that showed proper etiquette when swimming with manatees. Some of the don'ts included: chasing them, making sudden or excessive movements, splashing, surrounding or crowding them, touching them on the flippers or head, etc. In fact, we could only touch them if they swam up to us to investigate, and then only on the back. After the video, we tried on wet suits to check for size. Once everyone was fitted out with a suit, we drove out to the dock.
     As we set out on the boat, we saw several monkeys on a small little island in the harbor where they have their own little tree house. I can't remember the story behind how they got there, but they've been living there for years.
     Since it was already April, and most of the manatees had already migrated, we had to search for a while before we found any manatees. Eventually we found a mother and her calf and dropped anchor so that we could get in the water and slowly drifted toward them taking pictures. The water was a bit murky, and the camera took a little getting used to, so most of the pictures we took were only so-so. However, a third manatee soon joined the group. Since he was playful and curious, we got several good pictures. He swam up face-to-face with my wife (I missed the shot), and she got to touch him.

     My youngest daughter refused to get in the water, so she watched from the boat. My oldest daughter swam with us most of the time, but she got cold and eventually joined her sister in the boat. We spent about 45-60 minutes swimming before lifting anchor and returning to port.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - The best time to see manatees is from the middle of November until the end of March, when large numbers of manatees migrate to the Florida coast. Some live there full time, but most are seasonal.
- Manatees tend to be more active in the early morning.
- There are several different companies that run tours, but we chose the one we did, because it was a small boat (6 passengers) and our youngest was allowed to stay on the boat if she didn't want to get in and swim.

Nearby: Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, Fort Island Beach, Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Reserve, Flying Eagle Ranch