Manatee spotted off Hibiscus!!

[MikeJacobs]

Wow, a little ... what do you call it - group, herd, pod, swarm, crash, etc - of manatee swam south by my apartment on the beach at Hibiscus this morning just after sunrise (Lauderdale by the Sea). A chopper was circling overhead, monitoring their progress.

This is the second time I've seen this. They seem to be very intent on their destination, and I'm hesitant to "bother" them in any way. It's cold and dangerous in these waters right now!

 

[DennisS]

There's a bunch of them that winter in the outflow of the FPL plant at Port Everglades. It used to be a local tourist attraction, people would toss heads of lettuce over the fence for them to eat. I don't know if you can get in there after 9-11.

 

[kelpmermaid]

Wow, Dennis, that brings back memories. My dad took me down there once, maybe mid-80's, to see them. I had never seen one before -- aren't they just amazing?!

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

They closed that years ago, put up fences to keep folks away...I heard it was because people were throwing all kinds of stuff in the water. They wanted to keep the manatees from being dependent on us and to keep them safe from eating harmful stuff. Since 9-11, I have tried 3 times to get into Port Everglades to see them.. and have been turned away at the gate...guess I am not a good enough BSer to get past BSO!