December 31, 2014
Crystal River is located in west central Florida, about an hour and twenty minutes drive North of Tampa. It’s only one of two places north of Belize (along with Homosassa) where you can legally interact with the endangered West Indian Manatee. Snorkeling with these gentle giants is an unforgettable experience that you will feel just as much as see. I can think of no other aquatic animal as endearing and engaging as a Manatee.
I originally thought this tour was going to be a bust. Capt. Stacy of “Manatees in Paradise” e-mailed us warning that with the warmer weather, the Manatees were out in the Gulf feeding and that previous tours were only able to see 1-6 manatees. They explained that the recent cold-front the day previous had sucked out all the water and with the low tide the Manatees wouldn’t be able to easily get back in to the clearest springs. Priding themselves on honesty, they gave us the option to cancel. But we decided to risk it anyways. And it paid off. The others had cancelled, and there was only the two of us.
After watching the mandatory video “Manatee Manners”, we headed out at 8 am with Capt. Mike Dunn (Stacy’s husband). As he led us down the waterways to look for some Manatees, he educated us about the area, the Manatees, and how to properly interact with them.
Things had changed since the last time I had visited the area about ten years ago. Then I was encouraged to pet them and rub their bellies, and especially their armpit area which I was told “they loved”. But today, this “petting zoo” mentality has been replaced with “passive observation”. This was for their own protection, in line with the philosophy of keeping “wildlife wild” (as their slogan advertises), as best they can.
Mike explained that the Manatees come to these springs for their survival, not to get pet. When winter temperatures get too cold, the Manatees return to the relative warmth of the springs which run at a constant 72 deg.F. Prolonged exposure to anything below 66 deg.F is lethal to them. Mike made an analogy “It’s like you getting a back rub. Once or twice feels good, but after a hundred times, it won’t feel so good”. They’e strong advocates of a no touch policy: “It’s okay for a Manatee to harass you, but not for you to harass them”.
Heading East towards the 3 Sisters Springs, a crystal clear Manatee congregating area, we stopped at a place called Gator’s Hole, where there was already a boat anchored with snorkelers floating on pool noodles in the water. The water there had a visibility of only about 3 feet, owing to the muddy bottom. Mike pointed out a canal full of floating, greyish hulks breaking the surface of the water that were actually the backs of resting Manatees. This was a buoyed area (federal sanctuary), were it was forbidden to go, and only local landowners could use it to enter and exit their properties. Mike slowly lowered an anchor, and we donned our masks and snorkels and quietly slipped into the murky water.
Almost immediately, a curious Manatee came over to the boat to investigate, and “flossed” on the anchor line. Several minutes later another more playful Manatee joined us, making close passes and touched us nose to nose. When it felt comfortable with our presence, it wrapped its flippers around Cindy’s leg, giving her a one-legged hug. This lasted for several minutes. An amazing moment.
After about 20 minutes, a passing friend notified Mike that there was a group of Manatees at the 3 Sisters Springs, the crown jewel of King’s Bay. Mike called us back in and we headed further East. The 3 sisters is a complex of three springs that help feed King’s Bay and Crystal River with fresh water. The water here, when undisturbed, is as clear as gin, and with a sandy bottom it offers the best photographic opportunities.
But if you want to do some serious photography, you will have to pick an off peak time and season. I chose not to use my strobe, as I felt it was a little insensitive to what appeared to be already “over-visited” animals. In any case, a strobe would have been of little use that day as the the previous group had already churned up the visibility somewhat with their fins. And it only got worse as the morning progressed, as more and more people, both the public and organized tours, entered the area.
The area to the shoreline is cordoned off with buoys that are sanctuaries for the Manatees. You are not allowed within 1 foot of this rope, and absolutely forbidden to cross it. There was a pleasant Park volunteer in a kayak that supervised everyone, and she politely reminded people of their “Manatee Manners” when required. It should be noted that you can face heavy fines of $500 and/or imprisonment for harassing Manatees, and up to $50,000 and/or one year in jail in severe circumstances. (See Manatee viewing Guidelines by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission). Mike does manatee rescue work and genuinely cares about these animals. He stood on the platform of his boat watching out for them the whole time.
At this site, I had one particular Manatee who spent a lot of time with me, and concluded our meeting by wrapping its flippers around my arm, giving me a “hug”. There can be no greater compliment from a wild animal. We spent a good hour in the water with them, but it seemed like only minutes had passed. I would’ve stayed a lot longer if it were not for a group that came charging in wearing fins, and went vertical in the water column, churning up the visibility to near zero. At that point I turned to Mike and said “Ok Mike, it’s over”, and he smiled and nodded in agreement.
Tips:
Many tens of thousands of people from all over the world visit this extraordinary place every year. Please patronize tour operators who genuinely have the Manatees best interests at heart. You can watch a National Geographic video clip of an interview with Capt. Stacy and Mike here.
You won’t be doing alot of moving around in the water, and not generating the body heat that you normally would. So wear an appropriate thickness of wetsuit. I wore my 7mm wetsuit- good for multiple days of snorkeling and diving-which kept me quite warm, but also very (too) buoyant. You won’t need fins. I noticed that it just encouraged people to move around a lot, chase, and stir up the visibility.
Stacy and Mike run a small (maximum 6 people) and personable tour. You can also book a private tour. They dock their boat at the Plantation Inn & Dive shop docks. You can enjoy a hot shower there after you’re finished.
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