Manatees

[TerryInFlorida]

http://myfwc.com/boating/safety/law_summary.htm

MANATEE AWARENESS

Manatees are protected by state and federal law.

It is illegal to harass, hunt, capture, or kill any marine mammal, including manatees. Anything that disrupts a manatee’s normal behavior is a violation of law, punishable under federal law up to a $50,000 fine, one-year imprisonment, or both.

Boaters must observe all manatee protection zone requirements.


Some good tips on observing Manatees can be found here,
http://www.savethemanatee.org/Tips.htm

 

[crpntr133]

So how does snorkeling not fall into this but scuba does? I would read that and say that you can't even go near them. Anything could "disrupt a manatee's normal behavior".

I have searched all over, emailed and found nothing that specifically says that it is illegal to scuba with the manatee. Some are saying that scuba can be boardline harassement.

 

[eandiver]

It's not illegal to Scuba with Manatees. They are more comfortable with someone snorkeling but if you are slow and fairly quiet Scuba works too. Everything can be
used as harrassment if you don't know when to quit.

 

[TerryInFlorida]

So how does snorkeling not fall into this but scuba does? I would read that and say that you can't even go near them. Anything could "disrupt a manatee's normal behavior".

I have searched all over, emailed and found nothing that specifically says that it is illegal to scuba with the manatee. Some are saying that scuba can be boardline harassement.

Basically I was not saying it does or does not fall into the same category. I was just trying to give you some of what you had asked for. Facts and links. This is basically common sense, it doesn't say that scuba is illegal but it does say you have to be non-intrusive, snorkeling is less intrusive than scuba. In the eyes of any one particular marine patrol officer, I would not guess whether he/she may percieve myself to be harrassing the manatees were I blowing bubbles around them rather than not. They are an endangered species and have the right of way, we are to be a fly on the wall.

The only real problem I see is that with scuba you would need to remain at a greater distance away than with snorkeling, to not disturb them. Kind of mutes the point...

You can't get close enough to them that it changes thier natural path in any way, whether you are snorkeling or scuba diving. If they swim at or past you then they are the ones coming toward you and so as long as you stay still or back away you should be in the legal realm but do not quote me, I won't pay your ticket or get you out of jail, lol.

You know the way that you never see marine patrol until the day your out just after your fishing license or your boat registration has expired and you just forgot to check it, that is what you will probably surface to the day your scuba diving with the manatees. At least that is my kind of luck...

 

[crpntr133]

Kinda figured that was the issue.
I got an email from Crystal River Lodge Dive Center and he pretty much said that all monitoring bodies were allowing snorkeling but if more started to scuba then the snorkeling priveledge might be taken away. There is no directly written law that says you can't scuba with the manatee.
It stems on the fact that the manatee go to the bottom to feed and sleep. When we are on the surface they can go to the bottom to get away from us. If we were using scuba then we might be more apt to follow them. By following them to the bottom it might be considered harassment and all the other above mentioned things. So you are taking your chances if you scuba and go to the bottom.

For no deeper than the 3 Sisters area is I think it is a bit crazy to lug the dive gear out.

 

[Dive-aholic]

The scuba thing is more a matter of interpretation by the enforcer than anything else, as is a lot of law. I've heard of swimmers being fined at Blue Spring, Orange City because they were getting out of the water at the steps and there were manatees within 50 feet of the steps. I don't think the law was intended for that but some rangers interpret and enforce it that way.