Crystal River offers the best location to see and interact with the Florida manatee, a subspecies of the West Indian manatee, also known as gentle giants. Unlike other areas of Florida, the federal government allows for “passive observation” in the water between manatees and people in Kings Bay. This allows face-to-face interaction with manatees. We provide pre-tour education on passive observation and how to get the best experience during the tour. We also offer a hotel package including accommodations and breakfast with your Florida manatee tour.

Snorkeling tours

Swimming with the manatees and exploring the greater Kings Bay estuary and springs is extremely popular. Manatee tour experiences are best done by snorkeling while wearing wet suits, making the interaction as silent as possible. This way the manatees are more inclined to approach and get close. We maintain new suits and snorkel gear, all included in our manatee tours, as well as full-service facilities for changing. Your in-water guide will be taking videos and pictures of your manatee experience, which will be available for purchase at the dive shop. All our tour boats are fully enclosed in the winter time to protect you from the wind and cold. We provide coffee, hot chocolate, water and dry towels on every tour.

Summer VS Winter

Manatee tours are temperature driven. The colder it is the more manatees we see, and the closer they are to the springs. During cold days in manatee season (November 15th to March 31st) Kings Bay could have over 700 manatees. Please keep in mind that even inside manatee season we may have warm weather (summer like conditions). We see manatees in Kings Bay year round. To some this is their home and they’ll stay here their whole lives. In the summer months, and anytime we have warmer weather, the temperature of the water outside the springs increments. This makes the rest of the bay more appealing to the manatees. The 20 to 40 manatees that stay here year round don’t move together, so they’ll spread out in the 630 acres of Kings Bay. This is a wildlife experience determined by weather, tides, time of the day, and the behavior of all visitors. When we have “summer like” conditions you have the opportunity to see manatees in their natural habitat, and it is important to have realistic expectations. We are always happy to answer any questions about what you could expect inside or outside manatee season.

Points of Interest

• Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge

• Plantation Adventure Center

• Boat Coats for cold mornings
• US Coast Guard certified captain
• Professionally insured water guide
• Full 5mm wet-suits, mask & snorkels provided
• Complimentary towel service
• Warm beverages including coffee and hot chocolate
• Bottled water available

• Gratuities
• DVD or Flash Drive (available to purchase)
• Swimsuits