Crytal river manatees snorkeling questions

[jl_va_21]

Hello again - I thought I should report back on my trip. I was there two days ago and despite considering other options I kept my reservation with Am Pro. All in all, I'm glad I did. The snorkeling could have worked out better - manatees were a little scarce, vis was not great, and we were with a large group of very inexperiences silt kicking snorkelers - but I guess that is what you get with live animals (both the manatees and the tour group, hehe). In the end though we did get to see some manatees and it was mostly fun.

The dive was nice, though limited to 30 mins to not keep the tour group waiting. The cavern was interesting.

I had also signed up for the manatee awareness certification class. I was pleasantly surprised by this. They took it seriously and took the time to sit down with me and go through a thorough and interactive presentation that was well researched and prepared.

I'm not sure about other tour operators, but I bet they could be as good or better. As for the in-shop operations though, I thought American Pro did very well. The shop itself is also large and clean and well organized.

 

[RiverVentures]

I know this is late for you, but maybe not for others who are thinking about making the trip. There are a couple alternatives to launching at Petes Pier. You can launch at the public ramp at Birds Underwater on US hwy 19 for free or Dave and Morgan at Crystal River Kayak Company (aka) Kayaks & Beyond will let you drop your kayak in the water at their shop for like $2 or $3. Their location puts you in the water a mere 5 minutes from Three Sisters.

 

[Reef_Haven]

My son and I visited here a couple weekends ago. Here is our experience.
We launched our canoe at 8:00AM, loaded with dive gear; from Hunters Spring on the Crystal River and paddled out to Kings Bay. The water in Crystal River really is crystal clear, but when you get into the bay viz drops to about 5'. On the South end of Banana Island is King Spring, our first dive of the day. Took a few minutes to find the actual entrance to the cavern. A little too restrictive to enter side by side, once inside the room opened up to maybe 15' wide at some points, depth was 50' and viz improved to 20' or so. There is suppose to be another entrance at the other end of the cavern, but we only ventured in as far as we could and still stay within sight of daylight from our entrance. Walls and ceiling were basically bare rock, no cool formations and a silt floor. Lots of mangrove snapper and sheephead here, but no spearing allowed.
We then paddled over to Three Sisters Springs to swim with the manatees. There were alot of manatees leaving the area as we were arriving. There were about twenty Kayakers and 4 or 5 commercial pontoon boats already at the site. So many businesses making money ($30 - $50 a person) exploiting these animals, which by law aren't suppose to be disturbed. I suppose I'm kinda a hypocrite cause we were there to see and hopefully rub their bellies too. At least we weren't spinning props in the water, contaminating the water with gas and oil, and making money from it as well.
We did find a spot off the main river where we were able to swim with a few and get a few photos. One really playful baby snuck up on us from behind then literally swam into our arms, we petted if for a few seconds then it rushed away in search of someone else to play with.

 

[scubaskipper]

Just an up date. There will be NO SCUBA or fishing allowed at Three Sisters during the manatee season. Sanctuary boundaries can be moved up to 400 ft at 3 Sisters and 100 ft at all the rest as conditions apply. All previous guidelines are now rules. The major difference is now they can give tickets. There are cameras mounted in different locations to monitor people and animals. All of King's Bay is Refuge.

 

[Katch]

Hello again - I thought I should report back on my trip. I was there two days ago and despite considering other options I kept my reservation with Am Pro. All in all, I'm glad I did. The snorkeling could have worked out better - manatees were a little scarce, vis was not great, and we were with a large group of very inexperiences silt kicking snorkelers - but I guess that is what you get with live animals (both the manatees and the tour group, hehe). In the end though we did get to see some manatees and it was mostly fun.

The dive was nice, though limited to 30 mins to not keep the tour group waiting. The cavern was interesting.

I had also signed up for the manatee awareness certification class. I was pleasantly surprised by this. They took it seriously and took the time to sit down with me and go through a thorough and interactive presentation that was well researched and prepared.

I'm not sure about other tour operators, but I bet they could be as good or better. As for the in-shop operations though, I thought American Pro did very well. The shop itself is also large and clean and well organized.

Thanks for the update. I have a reservation with that outfit next Wednesday. I'll have to call them and add the certification class too.


Steve

 

[CaptEsteban]

For those who ask;
Sorry, but I am retired [ again ] & am no longer taking people to swim with the Manatees.

There are many other shops that will take you out .

Enjoy yourself, be careful, & obey all the rules of swimming with the Manatees.