Help for Recommendations for Manatees and crystal river or elsewhere

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globalmark

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Location
Brisbane , Australia
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Hi all
we got a stop over in Miami for 3-4 days while flying from the Caribbean back to Australia via LA and want to dive with the manatees ? And would be great if someone can give a few recommendations .places , dive operators/ manatee tours etc
we are both instructors and want to dive / snorkel a good spot - I have a DSLR so like good vis and nice spot .
can you dive with Manatees or only snorkel .?
Who would be the best person to go with , need tank , weights and BCD only- recommend small dive shop small groups , etc or private operator
is it best to go to crystal springs or somewhere else as read there are couple places as will drive up from Miami and have to return there . So will only have maybe 1 to 2 days there max before returning to Miami so better organise something .
any recommendations of where cheap and good to stay there ,

any and all info appreciated , thanks in advance Mark
 
You need to go to Crystal Lodge Dive Center on the Crystal River. True to its name, the spring fed Crystal River offer spectacular opportunities for underater photo and video. There are also manatee snorkeling available on the Rainbow River, which is also pristine. During the winter month Crystal River boasts the largest Florida manatee population and is the only place in the world that you can swim with the manatees. And there are 100's of manatee and very friendly. Fly to Gainsville, FL and drive West. The Crystal lodge Dive Center is located at 525 NW 7th Ave. Crystal River, FL. Phone is 352-795-6798. That phone number is 7 years old, might have changed. I have been there before with an OW class and the manatee was the high light of the trip. Going again in March with another class to fininsh up OW dives. Have fun! Hope this helps.
 
Mark, if you are making a trip just for the manatee encounter, you need to consider several things. A manatees life revolves around water temp. Night time temp. 40's or less will ensure plenty of animals in the clearer water of the springs the next morning. The behavior of the animals will be very different between King's Spring and Three Sisters. The main spring seems to be used more as a social area for the manatee. Larger animals, fewer babies but lots more interest and interaction. The Three Sisters area will have mainly sleeping family groups but MUCH clearer water for photos. There is NO scuba with manatees, strictly snorkel, everything at the surface. Go with an operation that has a focus on education, the whole reason these tours are allowed is for the educational experience. Normally and in other places you aren't allowed near these animals. Manatees are not here for our entertainment or profit, they are here to survive the winter. The focus is suppose to be on PASSIVE interaction and not touching. This isn't suppose to be a Discovery Cove kind of experience. Ask about what kind of educational experience you can expect. Ask if the guide gets in the water, if not, pass. We are three seasons into the second 15 year management plan, new rules are added every year and things change as situations change. The guides should all know the changes, they can also be found on the web site for the refuge. Some earlier posts reported getting in the water and needing a flashlight. Look at the web site and see what rules were being broken for that little encounter. The rangers are not being shy about giving out tickets. Know before you go should be the motto of everyone wanting to go it on their own. You might consider Tampa instead of Miami for the lay over. The drive from Miami would be very long. Ping me if you need any more info. I've been doing this on and off for eight years now. Rainbow River is very clear water but NO manatees there. Good Luck on your trip.
 
Thanks for info guys , sounds good I will check out crystal lodge dive centre
any other recommendations keep them coming
and scubaskipper thanks for that ,what do you suggest is best for us , operator and area ?

thanks again mark
 
I had a good experience with American Pro in the Crystal River area. We snorkeled with manatees, dove the Kings Cavern and then dove the Rainbow River in the afternoon. All fun to do, but I'd probably not rush back since I enjoy ocean diving much more. There's another dive shop called Bird's nearby: I've never dove with them, but some SB'ers have recommended them in the past.

BTW, its a long drive from Miami to the Crystal River.

If you have time, you should check out some ocean dives in South Florida too.
 
Where can we get up to date info about current rules and regulations for snorkeling with the manatees? Scubaskipper mentioned a website, can you provide a link?

Thanks

Globalmark: If your layover is Miami, you can drive to Ft. Lauderdale (25 miles) and then catch a 45 minute flight to Tampa and rent a car. It is then an hour drive to Crystal River.

Driving from Miami would be about 6.5 hours, each way.

Crystal River is the place to go. While there is no scuba diving with the manatees, there is some cavern diving that can be arranged and you might incidentally see manatees during that.

But, the best way is just to snorkel with them. They are active pretty much mainly at the surface and that is where you want to be, unencumbered by scuba gear. You are not allowed to free dive down under any circumstances. The surface is also the brightest light for getting good photos. Bring your widest angle lens possible as this is true up-close in-your-face encounters with large animals and wide angle is the only way to go. However, most snorkel trips are full and you will be having a lot of people in your photos unless you get away from the group. IF you can go during the week as opposed to a weekend this helps a lot.

We use Birds Underwater. They are absolutely great. Google them and give them a call.

If Scubaskipper runs trips, he sounds like he knows what he is doing also, and you might pm him.
 
Thanks for the advise guys
sounds like Birds might be the place to go then , few people have said good things .
Guyharrisonphoto, unfortunately already have rent a car for a few days so will drive there one day , snorkel/dive 2 nd day then drive back either later same day and stop on route or drive back next day ,
i live in Australia so a 6 hr drive is a normal weekend trip .

Anyone have suggestions of nice reasonable/cheap place to stay there also ?
thanks mark
 
Another recommendation for Bird's Underwater. We had a great experience with them this past October.
 
Thanks for the advise guys
sounds like Birds might be the place to go then , few people have said good things .

Anyone have suggestions of nice reasonable/cheap place to stay there also ?
thanks mark

+1 for Birds.

Not sure if it's cheapest but Best Western Crystal River sure is convenient. It's right down the block from Birds. AND they include continental breakfast at o'dark thirty so there's coffee before that 6am departure!!
BEST WESTERN Crystal River Resort
614 NW US Highway 19
Crystal River , Florida
34428-3952, United States
Phone: 352/795-3171

info@crystalriverresort.com
crystalriverresort.com

I'm going up next weekend (Feb 10-11). I'll post a report after.
 
Just exactly what JET said. I've stayed at the Best Western twice for these trips and it's clean, had reasonable rates, convenient, and the staff were helpful. The Rainbow River is a fun drift dive or snorkel in the afternoon...no manatees, but so clear it's a bit like flying...Superman style. For the manatees, you can't go wrong with Birds.


DSC01888A.jpg

Tip: In my limited experience, if the babies want to hang with you (you can't chase them), they like to be gently scratched under their flipper.

Hope you have a great trip.
 
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