Crystal River Manatees

[iluvtheocean]

it was that particular captain.. don't remember the name.. we did the 6:15 slot. Stayed at the Best Western Crystal Island -- that's 3-5 minutes away. - driving to river ventures from the hotel though (including the one onsite at the hotel) - must have passed 4-6 operators for manatee tours.
the only pressure we really had to get back to the dock was how cold everyone was getting (between me, my nieces and their mom, and the grandma) -- my boat coat got ruined and haven't been able to replace it yet.. we had did a private tour.
AFTER we got back on board the boat (and i had totally forgot about this!) -- it was mentioned that the plastic ponchos which are prevalent everywhere - would have help kept everyone warm by helping slow the evaporation thru the wetsuit.
It would have been good to have that on the website since most of their visitors may not know how to snorkel, etc.. and it's a great upsell item if they do it right.


i do agree that if you want to use fins with a camera discuss it in advance... there was almost no current btw.

honestly - even with the no fins, i'd still recommend river ventures.. i did like how they emphasized what you can & can't do in regard to the manatees and how big the penalties can be. lots of free hot chocolate at the shop

 

[scubastingray]

i did like how they emphasized what you can & can't do in regard to the manatees and how big the penalties can be. lots of free hot chocolate at the shop

These rules seem to change every time you see one of the yuppies in an orange vest and kayak. "If that Manatee leaves the spring you will be thrown in federal prison!" and the manatee is like 50ft away on the other side of the basin.

 

[iluvtheocean]

what we were told and reflects what i read as well -- stay away from sleeping manatees, let them come to you, no chasing, 1 open hand only touch, (no 2 hand touch) - avoids confusion with grabbing etc. no fondling them under the armpit absolutely stay away from any manatee that's either tagged or in the stay out zones. and of course no riding the manatees. we were told besides that they tend to exhibit cat-like behavior - curiosity, skittish, don't like their tails petted. etc

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

These rules seem to change every time you see one of the yuppies in an orange vest and kayak. "If that Manatee leaves the spring you will be thrown in federal prison!" and the manatee is like 50ft away on the other side of the basin.

The volunteers are indeed a problem, mainly because each one has their own particular view of proper behavior. Some were very nice, and respected the divers who followed the refuge rules. Others went much farther, such that if you were just floating, and the spring flow moved you towards a manatee, they called you out for "chasing" or "approaching" them. Some were downright nuts, such that even swimming around the spring was objectionable if there was a manatee on the bottom anywhere, when it is always the case that peaceful floating or very slow movement on the surface does not disturb the resting manatees so long as you don't dive down.

I think this is partly because of the complete flailing around with the pool noodles that is becoming more and more common, unfortunately. Everyone takes the lowest common denominator approach for idiots and does not take the effort to distinguish capable divers from the mob scene. Some of the volunteers, though, seem to have their own "ban manatee diving" agenda which, inexplicably, has taken hold among some fanatics, as if barring a personal connection with these creatures will help the manatee's cause when the marine industry wants to raise speed limits . . .

 

[fjpatrum]

Sounds like a lot has changed in the last couple of years. We had a great experience in 2011 (I think) with a young manatee playing with us for a good 20 minutes or so, rubbing on the snorkelers, petting us, letting us pet it. It was great. I'd dare say it would have been perfect if the vis had been better than 5 feet.

 

[Feet1st]

We were last there in summer 2012. Took our own boat so we scuba dived at a couple of the springs. We had no idea where to look for the manatees in that huge bay and various tributaries so we followed the tour boats until we saw them putting snorklers in the water, then we'd anchor at a respectable distance and swim over. The tour operators didn't seem to mind us tagging along, in fact one of them commented to me that the bright orange swim trunks I was wearing was attracting the manatees. We stayed at the Best Western, which has a boat ramp and docks on site. There is a shallow area on the east side of Kings Bay that attracts numerous boats on the weekend. Planning a July 4th visit there this summer. Good scalloping out in the Gulf waters in the summer too. Great place!!!