It is hard to believe this thread keeps getting revived as if a few instances of bad behavior three years ago is happening constantly. Time to put it to a stop.
I have been doing the manatee snorkel trips for well over 10 years. It is an annual sort pilgramage for my wife and I and we usually do 4 trips a year.
The video was disturbing, no doubt, but let us all remember that the video is a compilation of clips, and some clips even supplied by others. With the number of people visting each year it is not hard to put together a dozen instances of bad behavior, but it gives a way exaggerated, out of proportion, view of the situation.
This nonsense about people "hurting" these "delicate creatures" needs to stop. For the record -- no manatee has been documented to have suffered injury or death due to the snorkelers -- not one. The primary killers of manatees are motor boats traveling at high speed (or, extremely cold winter weather that can actually cause them to die of hypothermia). So, let's be real, please.
It is true that people can go over the top and actually disturb or bother the manatees. However, for the 40 or so trips that I have made, I have observed the following:
The operator I prefer (Birds) has, always, shown the video about how to behave around the manatees. More important, the captains and shop owner also verbally explain just how important it is to float in stillness, with hands folded and feet still. They demonstrate this in the shop.
Wetsuits are mandatory because they assure the people will float and not have to flail. they take kids only if they feel the kids are capable enough in the water, and if the parents supervise. No madly flailing groups of unsupervised kids. The captains are also on top of the group and do not hesitate to intervene if people violate the rules, or even if they just think there are too many people around a manatee.
In 40 trips, I have seen very few instances where anyone in our group actually caused a manatee to swim away. I cannot say the same about other operators. The worst behavior I have seen is from the "do it yourselfers" who rent pontoon boats go on their own. Still, the manatees are thriving in King's Bay.
As for one poster's notion that manatees are "forced" into a "dependent" relationship with people -- what are you smoking??
I can tell you this as a fact -- many manatees like, yes, like, interacting with humans. They are gentle and naturally curious. The approach freely. There is no need to chase them. They do like the occasional scratch and will signal if they want one by rolling over. They do grab you with their flippers. They do this freely. They are not fed. They are not forced. They do not "need" it and are not "dependent" on it. They are in a situation where humans are not their predators and so they do not fear humans in the water. Their curiousity and natural playfullness can then kick in instead of fear. Over the years the Crystal River manatees may have learned that they enjoy the "human encounters" and so seek them out more than manatees in other areas that do not have the same level of exposure. I don't know and I guess no one does, but to depict the encounters as some sort of imposition on the manatees is just WRONG.
It is this chance, to have a mutually positive interaction with a wild, intelligent species, that makes the manatee encounters completely unforgettable. It is one of the most unique experiences on the planet. I have seen, many times, people in overwhelmed by emotion afterwards.
Does anyone really think that stopping this is going to help the manatees' cause?
They also know where their sanctuary boundaries are. If they have had enough interaction, they swim there and can stay in peace. Or, they just move on. King's Bay is a large area and they can outswim a person easily, using no energy at all.
By the way, as the manatee encounters have grown in popularity, so has the manatee population. The encounters, in themselves, obviously do not harm or endanger the species. What does happen is that, when the marine industry starts its never-ending efforts to cut back or abolish manatee no-wake zones, the thousands of people who have a direct knowledge of and emotional connection with these animals turn out to hold the line.
