This past April, we booked an Airbnb with friends in Hernando, Florida for several nights and went swimming with manatees on the Crystal River. It was a bucket list experience that I will be doing again and again. If I would have known how easy it was to swim with the manatees, I would have done it years ago.
In this article, I discuss our tour with Hunter Springs Kayaks. More links are provided at the end, but go ahead and click here if you are ready to book your tour now. Or, stick around for the article and pick up a few tips!
The friends we were traveling with chose Hunter Springs Kayaks because it was toddler friendly. Hunter Springs Kayaks even said they'd allow our dog on the boat if no other passengers were allergic or adverse, which was so kind. Even though we decided to leave our dog at our rental cottage, we felt confident that we were about to embark on a journey with friendly folks.
photo credit BK Gray
Speaking of the rental cottage, that leads us to tip number one:
I highly recommend booking an Airbnb rather than a hotel. We stayed at an Airbnb cottage on Lake Hernando. There was a fire pit and we had a lovely view of the lake. The best part was we were able to bring our dog. She didn't go manatee adventuring with us, but was happy to stay at the cottage and sleep off her morning adventures in her cozy bed. (I'll be posting the other adventures from this trip as separate articles and I'll update this post with those links soon.) We might have paid a little more per night compared to a hotel, but having the comforts of home and feeling well looked after by the owners of the Airbnb made any cost discrepancy unequivocal.
Tip number two:
The time of year that you visit is important. We went in April and the air temperature was a high of 80 degrees every day. It was so lovely! That said, if you want to see large groups of manatees in the springs, it might be better to go earlier in the springtime or in the winter. We saw manatees and our hearts were content, but I'm greedy, I want more! I want all the manatees, please!
Tip number three:
Consider leaving your camera at home. Unless you're like me and like to have copyright ownership of your own photos, you can leave your camera and phone at home and just enjoy the experience without trying to keep up with your camera equipment. Your guide will take a million photos of you and your family with the manatees, and they will take group shots before and possibly after the manatee quest. You just pay for the photos afterwards. I think this is a great idea. As much as I like having my own photos, it was a real hassle trying to work with my GoPro and my Olympus underwater camera. Yes, we got some great shots, but if we go again, I will probably only take the GoPro just in case there are some amazing moments that I would regret not capturing. But I definitely had no need for a camera with a lens that needs to be changed.
Anyway, it's something to consider. It would be nice not to worry about a camera and just enjoy being in the moment with the manatees.
Tip number four:
Do you see the pool noodle that I am swimming with in the picture above? Regardless of if you are a strong swimmer or not, the pool noodle is your new best friend. Put aside any feelings you have about looking silly and become one with the noodle. You are not allowed to kick your legs to swim with the manatees, so you need a support system to help you stay afloat. Also, it allows you to pop your face in the water and enjoy all of the underwater scenes fatigue-free. I currently have snorkeling gear and pool noodles in my Amazon cart. I can't wait to go float around in tide pools at the beach and take photos of underwater creatures with the aide of a pool noodle. Such a fantastic idea!
Tip number five:
This one is for all of my fellow germaphobes. If you get weirded out by sharing snorkeling gear and wet suits with strangers, start looking for online deals for your own gear now. If you book with a tour, you cannot swim in the water to see the manatees without these items. I guess I'm a bit of a weirdo. You'd think that working in a Pre-K classroom would make me more amenable to germ sharing, but I think it has had the opposite effect. I do not like sharing food with other people or drinking after other people. I wash my hands an insane amount of times per day. I did not bring any of my own gear, so y'all better believe that I REALLY wanted to swim with those manatees badly enough that I donned a rented wet suit and put used snorkeling gear in my mouth.
Yes, they sanitize the gear heavily and I felt confident that it was clean, but as I've stated, I'm weird. I will be returning with my own gear next time. If you're like most people and are not weirded out by clean, previously used items, ignore everything I just said, book your tour, go and have fun like a normal person. LOL!
Tip number six:
Last but not least, make sure you go prepared to tip your guide and your boat captain. They work hard to help you have the most enjoyable experience possible. Yes, they get paid by the company, but they also work for tips, and your tip money helps to put gas in their car and food on the table for their families. We all know what it's like trying to make ends meet right now. Please tip them.
This concludes my tips for swimming with manatees as part of a tour group. Thanks so much for reading along. I hope these tips were helpful!
Click this link to book with Hunter Springs Kayaks .
Click this link to find Hunter Springs Kayaks on Google Maps.
Click this link to read my article on Rainbow Springs and the Weeki Wachee River.
Wishing you happy and safe adventures, my friend!
Carpe Diem,
Melissa Anne
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