Crystal River manatees in August?

[butter_fly]

Hi there!
Planning to go on holidays to Bimini in late July - beginning of August. Flying from London to Fort Lauderdale first. I would really really want to make a trip to Cristal River while I'm in Florida to see manatees.. I know that the best season for that is winter, do you think there is a chance to see them in August? Is it worth to make a trip to Cristal River at that time of year?
Any advice would be appreciated..
Thank you.

 

[scubaskipper]

Last winter we had the second largest number since they started keeping track. Many were pregnant females that are having calves late spring to early summer. Our normal 35-40 resident summer population is much larger than it would normally be. We are still seeing manatees morning and afternoon trips with more interaction than would be normal for this time of year. By August the numbers will be dependent on the amount of food left in the bay. Viz. is usually poor but on occasion we're finding some in the clear spring areas. By Aug. food and calm weather will be the biggest factors.

 

[Torontonian]

Few years ago in late Aug., in mid morning, we did still see a number of small manatees in the bay. We went out of the enclosed bay area, to go further. We found some, but not many, and the water was murky, from the rain a day before.

So viz can be an issue if there's rain.

We were told the manatees begin to slow down or go to sleep in late morning and afternoons. So an early morning trip has better chance of finding the manatees.

 

[iluvtheocean]

i would also recommend at least a 5mm or 7 if you get cold easy. Crystal river is about a 4-5 hr drive from ft lauderdale.
River Ventures isn't bad --- but they really really dont like fins but then again manatees tend to be very skittish - they are more like cats than cows

 

[sportxlh]

If you contact Bird's or America Pro dive shops in the Crystal River area, they can give you a feel for whether it is worth the drive or not. I've only been in the winter when large aggregations occur. I've always heard, but don't know from experience, the summer is not a great time to see the manatees since they can find warm water just about anywhere.

 

[butter_fly]

Thank you scubaskipper, Torontonian, iluvtheocean and sportxlh for taking time to reply!

Another question: has anybody used Captain Mike's Sunshine River Tours? They were recommended to me by someone I know, but I never saw anybody on here ever mentioning them, can't even find them on Tripadvisor.. I'm surprised also that their "Ultimate Manatee tour" starts at 8am? Isn't it a bit late? I thought that the earlier you start, the better chances you get..

Wow, 7mm suit in the summer - can it be so cold?!

 

[iluvtheocean]

spring fed water i believe -----

 

[sportxlh]

butterfly: the water temp will be between 70 and 73 degrees F. The operators don't want you chasing the manatees so you'll essentially be floating on the surface with occasional light kicks to move closer to the animals: you won't generate much thermal warmth from exercise. For me, 70-73 degrees is 5MM or 7MM territory but you may be used to cold water diving and be completely comfortable in something less. My buddy wore a .5MM (e.g. one half of a millimeter) when we did the snorkel tour and was comfortable. I had 7MM and was comfortable.

I'm not familiar with Captain Mikes: I used American Pro Dive and was happy. Lots of people on SB seem happy with Bird's too.

 

[butter_fly]

Thank you!