Manatee Snorkeling Tour: Small Group Experience

Experience a small group snorkeling tour with the West Indian Manatees in Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. Swim with the manatees, learn about their habitat, and take home high-definition photos and videos of your adventure.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • 226 NE 5th St - Upon arrival at the dive shop, guests will be fitted for wetsuits (included in price) and asked to watch a brief video from US Fish and Wildlife outlining their encounter with the manatees. The captain and guide will then take the group to the boat and embark all passengers and give a short safety brief. Once underway, the guide…
What's Included
  • Professional guide
  • Wetsuits
  • Use of snorkeling equipment
  • Coffee and hot cocoa
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
Additional Information

Experience a snug, intimate interaction with the West Indian Manatee as you swim alongside them under the oversight of a U.S. Coast Guard Certified Captain. Our intimate group expeditions (limited to six attendees) are offered daily in the breathtaking Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. Familiarize yourself with these remarkable creatures and gain…

Location
226 NE 5th St
Northeast 5th Street
Please arrive no earlier than your scheduled tour time. Our captains and guides are busy between trips with the previous tour and readying your boat and our shop for your trip. If you arrive early, you are likely to be waiting for our other guests to get changed and review their photos.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(1168 Ratings)
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Angela_b
Oct 24, 2024
Five stars hands down - Highly recommend!!!! Great captain and crew. Took the time to make sure we got a great experience. Crystal River three sisters is so beautiful. Five stars if I could give it 10 I would. If your looking for a swim with the manatees tour, look no further. Book this one, you wouldn't regret it.
Review provided by Viator
23pacific
Oct 21, 2024
Great swim with Manatees - We wondered if the recent Hurricanes had affected the chance of seeing Manatee. We weren’t to worry at all, we had a beautiful day and an excellent time swimming with the Manatees. Many mothers with calf. Operators were awesome and very knowledgable. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Madison_w
Sep 29, 2024
One of the best experiences of my life - One of the best experiences of my life! Manatees were right next to us and the guides knew exactly what they were doing! This is an amazing local company with great people. We even had an autistic young adult with us in our group and the guides were accommodating and kind. We saw a mom manatee with her baby as well as a couple curious young male manatees that came right up to us and rubbed up against us and were exploring who we were! Amazing to be so close to these gentle giants
Review provided by Viator
Darcie_m
Aug 23, 2024
Captain Lauren and Jade... - Captain Lauren and Jade were great with our kids, and when things got a little too hot, made a pit stop to do some swimming in the water to cool down before searching for some manatees again. August is a tough time of year to find the manatees, but they were able to do it, and my kids had the best time of their whole trip.
Review provided by Viator
Douglas_d
Aug 17, 2024
Best experience!! - Staff was very friendly and timely. Highly enjoyed the manatees. While we only had two people in our group we still got to spend around 30 minutes with a family of 3 manatees. Definitely a memory we will never forget. The captain and his crew were super knowledgeable about the kings bay ecosystem and made sure we got to see the manatees. We finished off the tour with a small trip to three sisters spring were we took some pictures and swam around. Highly recommend Gulf Coast Expeditions if you are interested in taking a tour of the area and seeing the manatees.
Review provided by Viator
Natashabenham
Jul 31, 2024
A great small group manatee encounter - The experience was amazing! There were only 6 people in the tour so we all got plenty of time to swim alongside the Manatees. Captain Lauren and Jade were both brilliant, ensuring everyone in the group got to see the manatees faces and got into good positions to be around them while ensuring we didn’t scare them. Then we got time at the springs to dive for little shells and see the fishes in the clearer waters. A great trip I’d recommend to everyone
Review provided by Tripadvisor
V2404kglarse
Jul 27, 2024
Amazing experience. - amazing experience. The team was super nice and pleasant. in the water Jade helped to guide and ensure a good experience and on the boat the captain was good at explaining and keeping an overview. can definitely recommend this tour with Gulf Coast experience. ++ They care about animal welfare. Big thumbs up to the team for this experience, 5 stars is not enough.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Christina_p
Jul 27, 2024
Awwwwwww - What a wonderful time, excellent day. Lauren and Oria were the best, so nice, and great great attitudes. Our group was small and made the experience even better. We saw a mom and baby manatees. So precious. I would definitely go with them again.
Review provided by Viator
Steffi
Jul 21, 2024
Impressive experience - Guide and captain were very friendly. Everything was excellently organized. Swimming with the manatee was one of the most impressive experiences on our trip. I also liked that obviously great consideration was given to the welfare of the animals. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rasmush758
Jul 21, 2024
Great experience, and awesome crew. - Captain Lauren and guide Ayriah were amazing! Although it’s out of season we were able to see one manatee and it was a great experience! Definitely worth it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $67
up to 6 guests
1 Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).