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Private Manatee Snorkel Tour: Swim with Gentle Giants
5.0
486 Ratings
Crystal River
This exclusive snorkeling tour with manatees is only for 3 hours, but the experience it offers will stay with your team forever! Your personal USCG certified captain will set sail with your private team to discover the sanctuary and bring you face to face with these ‘quiet mammoths’!
This exclusive snorkeling tour with manatees is only for 3 hours, but the experience it offers will stay with your team forever! Your personal USCG certified captain will set sail with your private team to discover the sanctuary and bring you face to face with these ‘quiet mammoths’!
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- River Ventures - After checking in at the tour center you will watch a brief video about the manatees, go over the rules of swimming and how to interact in a manner that is fun for both you and the manatees. You are then fitted for a wetsuit to prepare you for your snorkeling adventure. Your guides will photograph the highlights of your entire…
- River Ventures - After checking in at the tour center you will watch a brief video about the manatees, go over the rules of swimming and how to interact in a manner that is fun for both you and the manatees. You are then fitted for a wetsuit to prepare you for your snorkeling adventure. Your guides will photograph the highlights of your entire manatee swim tour from start to finish, both above and below the water. Upon returning to the tour center, a high-resolution picture CD containing images from your manatee tour will be available for you to purchase if desired.
What's Included
- Expert guidance led by a professional
- Exclusive private tour experience
- Complimentary bottled water
- All necessary equipment provided
- Multilingual introductory video available (English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish)
- Expert guidance led by a professional
- Exclusive private tour experience
- Complimentary bottled water
- All necessary equipment provided
- Multilingual introductory video available (English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish)
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
- DVD (available to purchase)
- Gratuities
- Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
- DVD (available to purchase)
Additional Information
- Price reflects 1 to 10 people
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Post COVID-19 Policy- We are mindful to thoroughly clean water vehicles between visitors.
- Price reflects 1 to 10 people
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Post COVID-19 Policy- We are mindful to thoroughly clean water vehicles between visitors.
Location
River Ventures
Southeast Kings Bay Drive
River Ventures Manatee Tour and Education Center, please arrive 15 minutes early.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(486 Ratings)
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Backpacker280721
Feb 12, 2025
Very knowledgeable - Crystal our guide and Emerson our boat captain were patient and very knowledgeable. Highly recommend booking with them to swim with the manatees. Great for people of all ages and abilities
Review provided by Tripadvisor
769kalynnn
Feb 8, 2025
Manatee Guarantee - If you are looking to swim with the manatees - look no further River Ventures will hook you up! We went out with Captain Chris and Tour Guide Eddy who were full of whit all morning! They even made sure our friends with less experience in snorkeling felt comfortable being in the water. We had 2 super friendly manatees to hangout with also!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Danav986
Feb 8, 2025
Captain Chris and Eddie for the win!! - Highly recommend booking this tour and requesting captain chris and tour guide Eddie. I came with 7 friends this weekend to celebrate a birthday. Weather was not amazing, foggy and cold but both captain chris and Eddie made sure we got the best experience possible. We were fortunate to find a manatee right where we parked and all got to get close and personal with a friendly manatee. Eddie then took us out to the keyhole to find yet another friendly manatee who came to say hi to all of us. Can't wait to come back see captain chris and Eddie for another adventure. Thank you guys!!! Love your dental crew.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Passenger634867
Jan 30, 2025
Best Sister Bonding experience!! - Today I accomplished the number one item on my bucket list! Swimming with the manatees with Trish and Wade as our guides was amazing!! They were phenomenal, personal and just plain fun!! I can’t wait to come back to Crystal River and do it all over again! Thank you
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chelseasz3722sb
Jan 30, 2025
Great experience with Crystal & Joff - We had Captain Joff & Guide Crystal and they did such a wonderful job spotting, and educating us about the manatees. You can tell they care about the marine life, and they’re friendly and personable. The experience was amazing, don’t let the outward appearance of the building fool you! With their guidance, we were able to see a dozen or so manatees, some with calves nursing! The only thing that took us by surprise was that there were dogs in the shop that we hadn’t expected, but they were very friendly and well-behaved! Thank you Crystal and Joff, we have already recommended you to our friends!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Corilarae
Jan 28, 2025
Exceeded Expectations! - Everyone was beyond wonderful from the moment we walked in the door!! All staff was helpful and fun. We absolutely hit the jackpot with our guides Trish and Wade! Knowledgeable, informative and fun! We got to see and interact with so many manatee thanks to them! So glad we got the best on our first tour!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
765jaclync
Jan 25, 2025
Want to experience manatees? DO THIS TOUR! - Wow! I can't say enough about this tour. We did the morning OG swim with manatees and it was such a smooth ride from start to finish. The short boat ride with Captain Kevin was smooth and we were even able to see dolphins on the way. When we got to the area to swim with manatees, our guide, Crystal, led us to all the incredible manatees and guided us through interacting with them safely. I cannot believe how close to got to them. What a special experience with friends and family that I will NEVER forget. Thank you, River Ventures for an unforgettable, perfect experience. Wouldn't have changed a thing. I highly recommend this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Christysh9272nl
Jan 23, 2025
Perfect way to interact with manatees - Highly recommend this trip! It was simply amazing! The air was cool but the water wasn't bad. And we had hot cocoa on the way back. Capt Kevin and Crystal made it even better! I'm ready to go again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
U7795dqisabeller
Jan 23, 2025
8th Grade Dream Full filled! - Captain Chris , Guide Natalie and Lindsey.
The tour was great! Had a once in a lifetime experience. Very cold at the end, but had hot chocolate. Thanks so much!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ruthh864
Jan 22, 2025
An amazing experience - This was a wonderful experience. The team knew exactly where to take us to see the manatees. Led by friendly Trish, and Captain Wade. We didn’t know when we prebooked, but January can be a good time to see manatees because when it’s a bit colder they come into the warmer springs of Crystal river. We had a friendly manatee who
literally kept hugging my wife!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
