Private Manatee Swim: Exclusive Snorkel Tour Experience

Experience the ultimate private manatee swim with our exclusive snorkel tour. Swim alongside gentle giants on a professionally guided tour. All equipment, wet suits, and amenities included.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights

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…

What's Included
  • 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
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • DVD or Flash Drive (available to purchase)
  • Swimsuits
Additional Information

Enjoy the exclusive luxury of our manatee snorkel tour with the boat all to yourself! Experience the peaceful wonder of swimming with these serene creatures under the guidance of professional tour guides. The cost covers full equipment including 5mm wet suits, masks, snorkel, towel service, hot chocolate, coffee, warm showers, boat coats, and heated…

Location
9301 W Fort Island Trail
West Fort Island Trail
Departure Point: Plantation on Crystal River Address: Plantation Adventure Center
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(311 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
G4840mzchristopherw
Jan 3, 2025
Must do with Plantation Adventure Center - Plantation Adventure Center is simply the best. We have been coming here for the manatees experience for years. Kendra and Dave were the best host. We will be back.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
956adamh
Dec 28, 2024
Snorkeling with the Incredible Sea Cows! - We've had some bad luck previously with wildlife cruises/snorkeling experiences (no orcas or whale sharks to be found!). Not today! We broke our hoodoo with this amazing manatee tour! Captain Mark and Divemaster Amanda took us out on the early cruise to Three Sisters before all the hordes of kayakers and snorkelers could descend. It exceeded all of our expectations, with countless adult and baby manatees coming to greet us and cruising around! Water quality/visibility was great that early in the morning. Amanda took some fantastic photos and videos so that we can always remember this amazing experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
877margea
Dec 15, 2024
Amazing experience! - Such a bucket list day swimming with Manatees!!! Our boat captain and dive masters were knowledgeable and super helpful, ensuring the best experience for us and the wildlife. Will be back!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Davidsg548sk
Jul 13, 2024
Scallop snorkel swim spring cha ching - We did a six-person half day scallop snorkel tour. It was amazing. Captain Cory and first mate Matt were excellent hosts. We scored lots of scallops, snorkeled the springs, and had a perfect afternoon. We booked online ahead of time and everything went smoothly. My family loved it. We may come again at the end of the season. 5 out of 5. A must do.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Batter82
Jun 18, 2024
Amazing manatee experience - We had an incredible semi-private manatee tour with Captain Matk and Divemastet Laura! It turned out to be a private tour since no one else signed up at our time. They were so knowledgeable and respectful of the area. I was impressed that they stop along the way to pick up any litter they find in the water. We were lucky to come upon a mating herd of 5 manatees almost immediately. Swimming with these creatures is the experience of a lifetime. Mark and Laura made sure we had plenty of time with the manatees, swimming in the amazing Three Sisters Spring, and Laura took incredible photos. They even took the time to mail us our bag of wet swimsuits we left on the dock. I can't say enough good things about them. Book today, you will not be sorry.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Flyer824105
Apr 29, 2024
Great Exåeroence - Great experience. We found plenty of Manatees, and our Divemaster/Photographer Laura took excelent pictures. We even had the joy of a baby Manatees coming up to give me a hug :-)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
David
Apr 17, 2024
Great Birthday with Manatees - Awesome. Captain Cory and Guide Melissa worked together to put us on the manatees. They were fun and personable. We couldn’t have asked for a better trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ambercn5725eu
Apr 6, 2024
Magical Experience!!! - We had an amazing time with our family on our private Manatee Tour! Our guide, Ryan, was informative and helpful in the water! Unfortunately, our tour was after the August 2023 hurricane and the waters were pretty murky. This is totally out of control of the tour. Our guide found a manatee (Patches) and her baby! While visibility was low due to the waters, the experience of Patches swimming under me with her baby was something I will never forget! Ryan took excellent photos that I will forever cherish. We had plenty of time in our tour to head over to Three Sisters. The tagged manatee boy was there resting and the water was CLEAR! Our guide was able to get pictures of us with this sweet manatee in the backdrop as well as many scenic underwater pictures and pictures of our family that we didn't even know he was taking! Truly, a magical experience that I would do again! Do the tour! Have someone else take pictures! Be in the moment! Love love loved this so much!!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Daytrip671922
Mar 15, 2024
Bucket List Item Completed! - Just returned from our trip to Tampa and can't say enough about our tour experience at Plantation Adventure Center. Dave was our boat captain and Tristan was our Divemaster/Photographer--they were phenomenal! Due to the hurricane last year there weren't as many manatees as we had hoped to see but Dave and Tristan went our of their way to get us to as many spots as possible to catch some sightings. We loved every minute of our experience and are planning a future return so that we can do it again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Malaykah
Dec 31, 2024
Overrated - I guess I was disappointed after looking forward to this trip for weeks. We had great weather and did the first trip of the morning. I was expecting more of a natural, state park setting. Instead it felt like we were snorkeling in the backyards of a neighborhood with tons of groups descending on a few manatees. Boats parked everywhere. Our guide was not very helpful, she didn’t tell us much about the manatees on the trip out or if we were just going to one place or would be moving around. She was hard to locate during the trip and jumped in the water and sort of took off without making sure the kids had their snorkel fitted and everyone was ready. It was weird.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Select Date and Tickets
up to 6 guests
1
Traveler
January 2025
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today