We just returned from Key Largo, and stopped in Crystal River along the way to do a manatee snorkeling tour, it was kind of a last minute add on. I hadn't seen this thread, and for better or worse we ended up at American Pro (I would have avoided them on the basis of this thread alone, but otherwise they present themselves well).
I have no idea whether they have substantially changed their practices, but here's what I observed this past weekend:
On the positive side
- We were required to watch the video on the rules for manatee engagement, and the Capt./Guide stressed that we were not to freedive, period. He went so far as to say if our snorkel was submerged, we were too far down.
- We were told not to encircle the manatees, and to always allow them a way to avoid us
- We were told that we could touch the manatees if they approached us, but that we could only use one hand in a stroking or scratching motion
- The Capt. stressed floating on the surface, being quiet, and making minimum hand and feet movement
- The Capt., upon sighting a manatee, would kill the motor, gently lower an anchor, and then get in the water by himself to determine whether the manatee was interested in any human interaction. He left at least one manatee alone without letting us get in the water.
- The Capt. made us stay away from a nursing mother and calf. He also made use stay away from other manatees that did not approach us.
- The Capt. never attempted to corral or herd the manatees with his boat.
- The Capt. appeared to be very knowledgeable about the manatees and seem to have a genuine appreciation and respect for them
On the negative side:
- We had ten people on our boat, including three children, and one very overweight lady who could not swim at all and struggled to wade through the shallow (neck height) water upright and breath through her snorkel, she would grab and anything close (including other snorkelers) for support. Two of the younger children (8-10) couldn't float and did a lot of thrashing around, the Capt. eventually made them float on life jackets. I felt uncomfortable with that many people being around the manatee, even when the manatee approached the group. I understand that ten is actually a low number and that more people come in the winter.
- The Capt. would swim along side the manatee (but not holding on to it as best I could tell), I was of the understanding that you were supposed to remain stationary and let the manatees come to you.
- I returned to the boat early because I felt that their were too many people around the manatee (their were two other boats in the same spot - another American Pro boat, and one form another operation)
- American Pro also carries divers on the same boats. The divers apparently (their were none on ours, but two were on the other American Pro boat) are left to their own devices. I'm assuming the interaction rules are no different for SCUBA divers, so what's the benefit of using it for this purpose?
- I don't recall any mention of a ten foot hold off from the manatees
We had the most contact with what the Capt. described as a two year old calf that left its nearby mother and approached us. This manatee repeatedly surfaced among our group and would nose up to your face mask and roll belly up for petting. I do see the concern about the animal becoming dependent on human contact.
I am disturbed and disgusted by the actions depicted in the video posted by the OP, but what's not clear to me is how much of what is included is being done by American Pro. Don't get me wrong, I will probably avoid American Pro on any return trips (because of what has been posted on ScubaBoard), I just didn't witness the same behavior from either American Pro employees or other snorkelers. American Pro seems to have a larger number of boats operating and they also seek to generate extra revenue off the sales of DVD recordings of the tours, which probably causes them to go to extra lengths to get their customers on camera with the manatees. I know this is a hostile forum for American Pro, but I would like to see them adequately respond to the issues raised here before I would consider going back out with them.
I did observe numerous other commercial and private boats violating the no wake rules in the area of manatees. I also observed another manatee tour operator following a manatee into (as in blocking the path out) a cove with their boat.
Has anybody ever been cited or fined for the behavior in the OP's video?
I was unprepared for the excitement of interacting with a manatee, I only went along because someone else in the group wanted to to it. However, I came away wanting to do it again. I just want to be sure and do it in a responsible manner and to not support anyone that is operating without the best interests of the manatees. The touch (manatee initiated)/no touch issue is confusing for someone new to the issue.
How many of the manatee tour operators put an employee in the water versus just dumping their customers in unsupervised?
