Quick Details
Reserve your seats on a small boat, float quietly with wild manatees, and learn what you’re seeing from a captain who has been doing this since 2000.
Person
$ 81.00
Discover Manatee Magic – What your trip looks like
You check in, get fitted for a wetsuit, and watch a short Manatee Manners briefing filmed with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Then it’s out onto the water with your captain and up to five other guests.
Your captain picks the best spot for that day’s conditions. The engine goes quiet. You slide in with a mask, a snorkel and a noodle, and float. No fins, no chasing. A curious manatee drifts up, looks you over, and decides whether to stay. Often they do.
You’ll typically spend 60 to 90 minutes in the water. Then you climb out and grab a cup of hot cocoa (on cold days) or an ice cold drink (on warm ones), and head back with your captain answering every question on the way.
Where you’ll meet
Your tour departs from our private docks at 5297 S Cherokee Way in Homosassa, a few miles south of Crystal River. Your captain chooses the best manatee water each day, and you’ll get exact meeting details in your confirmation.
What’s included
- Wetsuit (toddler through 5X), mask, snorkel and flotation noodle
- Manatee Manners briefing, filmed with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
- A USCG-licensed captain and in-water guide
- Hot cocoa and coffee in cooler months, ice water in warmer months
- About 3 hours from check-in to return
- A return voucher if no manatees are sighted
Add a photographer: $114.99 per booking. Our photographer gets in the water with you and sends the photos and video the same day, so you can put the phone down and be there.
Why Homosassa?
Crystal River is famous, and on a winter weekend it shows. Kings Bay fills with dozens of tour boats, kayaks and paddleboards, all crowding the same few springs. We run our tours on the Homosassa River, just 15 minutes south, where the same Nature Coast manatees gather in spring-fed water with a fraction of the traffic. Fewer boats means calmer manatees, and calmer manatees are the ones that come close. Mothers with calves and resident manatees stay here all year, the springs hold at about 72 degrees, and the monkeys of Monkey Island are right on the way. Our guests who have done both tell us they won’t go back to Crystal River. Same manatees, less crowd, and a whole lot more room to enjoy them.
Why only six?
Many manatee boats carry 10 to 20 guests. Ours carry six. That means room in the water, more time with the manatees, and a captain who can actually answer your questions. It costs a few bucks more per seat than the big boats. That’s the trade, and our guests tell us it’s worth it.
Some operators call it “semi-private.” Google calls that a shared hospital room. Yikes! We call it what it is: a shared boat, never more than six guests.
Five or six in your group? Compare the 3 Hour PRIVATE Swim with Manatees Tour. It’s often close in price, and the whole boat is yours.
Good to know
- Ages: 2 and up recommended. Kids love it, and we carry toddler wetsuits.
- Swimming: not required. You float on the surface with a noodle. The swim is easy, you’ll never be rushed, and staying on the boat is always fine.
- Tour times: every departure is a good one. Manatees don’t own a calendar or a smartphone, and they roam all day. Pick the time that fits your day.
- Water: wild river and spring water. The springs stay about 72 degrees year-round. The water is clearest in the cooler months, October through April, and tea-colored at other times.
- Cold? No heated boat required. This is Florida. Bring a hoodie for the ride back, and the hot cocoa will handle the rest.
- Minimum: 2 guests to start a boat.
- Bring: a swimsuit to wear under the wetsuit, a towel, a change of clothes and, in winter, a warm layer for the ride back.
No manatees? Come back.
Our captains find manatees on about 90% of trips, all year. If yours is one of the few, you get a return voucher that never expires. It’s free with the trip protection upgrade!