Crystal River Manatee Kabobs!

[DEEPSEAWOLF]

Holly and I are planning on hitting Crystal River next weekend for some freediving and manatee fishing ...UH... SWIMMING WITH the manatees, if I get my kayak repaired. Anybody else want to tag along. Boat rentals are 20 bucks for 2 hours at plantation inn. (If you don't have your own boat.)
verlord:

 

[H2Andy]

have you called and checked on what the menu... er... manatee situation is?

i've heard they've been heading out lately...

 

[CBulla]

You mean the sea veal are leaving the safe santuary?

 

[simbrooks]

What day/time were you thinking? We are hitting Venice on saturday (3/27), CBulla and others are on sunday (3/28). Its about 150 miles up to CR from Venice, so that might be some drive - although i did similar with Walter when we went to Paradise instead of a blown out Venice last time.

I have my kayak, but its not a nice easy get in and out sit-on-top like i think you are talking about renting. Do you plan to dive there? There are places i have yet to go, like Gator Hole and 3 Sisters(?), and King Springs is a nice drop as well. I really want to get a load of use out of my new gear!!!

 

[DEEPSEAWOLF]

Last I'd heard, there were a few hovering around the main spring and a few more at three sisters. Not a big turnout, but worth watertesting a boat repair and getting some freediving in. Mmmm looking for the marinara sauce... I meant FIBERGLASS! I need to repair the grill.... BOAT! Need to repair the BOAT!!! Dern that Freudian slippage!

 

[DEEPSEAWOLF]

I have a sit in, but tandem with a large open cockpit. We will probably just freedive. Less gear to carry and I am not sure if the seam repair will hold so I don't want to drag a ton of gear back in a swamped yak.

 

[simbrooks]

I have a seakayak, not made for frequent ingress/egress, hence the diving trouble. Its about time i took it out again before the summer kicks in. Might just paddle rather than freedive though, let me know dates/times etc. Where would you be thinking of putting in and going on CR? I only know where American Pro Dive put in and where King Springs are located, beyond that i am pretty useless around that area!

What type of boats do they rent at this local place as well?? I could just rent one of those and put dive gear in it - think redundancy in case your leak repairs make you manatee food! And the hunter becomes the hunted

 

[DEEPSEAWOLF]

The place I am lookning at putting in is Plantation Inn Dive shop. They are a large hotel, with an unattached dive shop at the boat ramp. They have single Sotyaks, john boats (with and without a sun shade) Pontoon boats, and canoes.
http://www.plantationinn.com/ has all their prices and stuff. The site also has maps to find them. Not hard! You practically TRIP over the place. I am looking at getting there by maybe 10 or so, but would like it to be earlier. The repair is looking good at stage one. Six more to go!
As for the manatee food, Yeah, when they attack it's vicious! Like that kid that they mauled with it's tusks/claws when he got too close to the cute furry cubs. Hey, Manatees are nothing to joke about! It's all good and well until someone loses an eye! Or a dive flag. I don't know what it is about dive flags! I've heard they're attracted to the red like bulls and that's why they attack!
DISCLAIMER: For those of you who know nothing about manatee, this is all a JOKE! Manatees are extremely docile, vegetarians. DO YOUR RESEARCH before panicking about the International West Indian Manatee Attack file. THOSE are the MEAN ones! :54:

 

[simbrooks]

Is that saturday or sunday?

 

[DEEPSEAWOLF]

Saturday is best. I just put the second coat of epoxy on the yak. If all else fails and the repair doesn't hold, we'll just rent yaks there.