Two ways aboard
Swim with manatees in a small group, with a real captain and manatee educator beside you, and the quietest way to meet a wild manatee: float, wait, and let it decide.
Shared boat
See trip →
From $81 per person · never more than six guests
Private boat
See trips →
From $450 up to six · your people only, 3, 4 or 6 hours
Your captain teaches the whole way, and the river is full of more than manatees: eagles, herons, otters, the odd dolphin, and yes, monkeys. Then a wild manatee drifts up and decides to stay. That's manatee magic.
26
Years
6
Guests max
72°
Spring water
4.8★
Most popular · 3 hours
Six guests, one captain, and a spring-fed river. Suit up at the dock, learn Manatee Manners on the ride out, then float quietly while the manatees come to you. Climb back aboard to a cup of hot cocoa (on cold days) or ice water (on warm ones), and head back with your captain answering every question on the way.
4 daily departures
8 AM, 10 AM, 12 PM, 2 PM
Ages
2 years + (recommended)
FROM$81PER PERSON
Your boat. Your family.
Priced per boat, up to six guests each. Groups up to 24 on four boats.
FROM$450PER BOAT
6 hours · up to 6
The long day on the river, with lunch at the dock.
FROM$999PER BOAT
Locally owned since 2000
Swim With Manatees is a 26-year Citrus County manatee-tour company specializing in educational, passive wildlife encounters aboard boats limited to six guests, serving the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge and Homosassa Springs.
What comes aboard
Gear
Wetsuit, mask, snorkel
Toddler sizes to 5X, included
Boat size
Six guests max
Shared or private
Captain
Captain and manatee educator
Every instruction, right from the boat
No Sighting Promise
No manatees? Come back
Free with Trip Protection, $15 per person without
Departure
5297 S Cherokee Way, Homosassa. Check in 15 minutes before your trip.
Bring
Swimsuit under your clothes, a towel, and a change of clothes for after.
Manatee Manners
Float, don't chase, and keep your hands to yourself. If a manatee touches you, enjoy it.
Where we go
Homosassa, outside the crowded refuge, with Crystal River access when the manatees are there.
Conservation first
No loud crowds, no rushing from place to place, no performances. This isn't a theme park attraction. It's a wild river, a wild animal, and a quiet few minutes you'll keep for the rest of your life.
"Our goal isn't simply to help you see a manatee. Our goal is to help you understand one."
– Captain Parker
Cooler months · Oct–Apr
Peak season. Manatees crowd into the 72° springs to stay warm.
Warmer months · May–Sep
Fewer manatees, warm water, and often the river to ourselves.
Not a strong swimmer?
Wetsuits float. And when gravity starts winning, we've got a water noodle waiting for you.
You've waited a long time for this
You've planned the trip. Maybe you saved for it, or promised the kids. The last thing you want is to spend it shoulder to shoulder with strangers, squinting at one manatee through a crowd.
We've done this differently for 26 years. Here's how.
How it works
1
Pick your time
To swim with manatees, share a boat with a few other guests, or book the whole boat for your group. Every departure time is a good one. Manatees don't own a calendar or a smartphone, and they roam all day, so pick the time that fits your day.
2
Meet your captain
Suit up in a wetsuit that fits (we carry toddler through 5X), watch a short Manatee Manners briefing, and head out on the river.
3
Float quietly
No fins, no breath-holding, no chasing. Just a mask, a snorkel, a noodle, and a little patience. Curious manatees come to you.
Why guests choose us
Many boats that swim with manatees in Crystal River carry 10 to 20 people. Ours carry six, on the Homosassa River just outside the busy refuge. Fewer boats, calmer manatees.
"Despite being on a shared boat we were treated like we were on a private boat."
Learn why manatees crowd the springs in the cooler months and how a mother looks after her calf. You don't approach the manatee. The manatee approaches you.
"I am a questions girl and man did they answer every single one of them."
Can't swim? You'll float. The water is shallow, you'll never be rushed, and wetsuits run from toddler to 5X. Staying on the boat is always fine.
"I'm plus size (4x) woman, and they had my size wetsuit… I really appreciated that."
Some marinas charge about $5 per person just to park. For a family of six, that's $30 before you've seen a manatee. We leave from our own private docks at Monkey Island Riverside Resort, and parking is free.
Some days on the Homosassa it's just our boats and 50 manatees, like SeaWorld after hours. That never happens in Crystal River. There are few public launches on this river, so we leave from resort docks, not a crowded public marina.
The Homosassa takes a skilled, confident local captain to run. When manatees are thin, ours know where they hide: under the bridges and around the logs. And this river system never has random daily closures.
The truth about the water
The springs stay about 72 degrees all year. From mid-October to late April, when the Gulf drops below about 70 degrees, manatees crowd into that warm spring water, and that's when the magic happens. In summer they don't need the springs much, other than to grab a fresh-water drink, so they're out in the river and bays munching seagrass, where the Sundrops of Florida keep the water warm but not always clear. The manatees don't mind, and neither will you once one drifts up beside you.
Conditions change hour to hour, and tomorrow almost certainly won't be like yesterday. Call us and ask the captain what it's like this week. Honesty is the best policy, and we'd rather you hear it from us than from a photo.
Warmest water
The springs, about 72 degrees all year. Warm, not always clear.
Most manatees
Cold snaps in the cooler months, when they crowd the warm springs.
Quietest encounters
Late spring through fall, when the resident manatees stay and the crowds go home.
The No Sighting Promise
Manatees are wild, so no one can promise they'll show. Here's what we can promise: our captains find them on 90% of trips, all year. If yours is one of the few, you'll leave with a return voucher that never expires.
Either way, you still get the river, the springs, the education, and whatever else shows up (dolphins, otters, and the monkeys of Monkey Island are regulars).
With trip protection
Come back free
Without trip protection
$15 per person
Ask the Captain
"You have to go at first light."
That one dates back to the late 1980s, when two operators were racing each other to the springs. There were only a handful of manatees then. Today they roam all day, so our tour times are set for you, not the manatees.
"There's a manatee season."
The big migration runs mid-October to late April, and you'll see more manatees then. But mothers with calves, rescued manatees, and a few wacky locals stay all year. We swim with manatees every day.
"Semi-private means private."
Google it and you get a shared hospital room. Yikes! We call it a shared boat: never more than six guests. If you want the boat to yourselves, book private.
Got another one? Call and ask the captain: 352-257-8687.
From the logbook
Before you book
What does "shared boat" mean?
Some folks call it semi-private. Google that and you get a shared hospital room. Yikes! On our shared boats it simply means never more than six guests per boat.
Do I need to know how to swim?
No. Everyone wears a wetsuit, which floats, and we carry noodles on board. After a certain age gravity starts winning, so we've got a water noodle waiting for you.
What if we don't see a manatee?
These are wild animals, so no one can promise a sighting. Our captains find manatees on 90% of trips. If yours is one of the few, our No Sighting Promise brings you back: free if you added Trip Protection, or with a $15 per person voucher if you didn't.
Is gear included?
Yes. Wetsuit, mask and snorkel on every trip, toddler sizes to 5X. Just bring a swimsuit, a towel and a change of clothes.
When is the best time to go?
Mid-October to late April is peak season to swim with manatees, when they move into the warm springs. Summer trips are quieter and warmer, and we'll be honest with you about the odds before you book.
Shared boat from $81 per person. Your own boat from $450.
Questions first? Call 352-257-8687. A real person answers.
Book your manatee tour
Every tour is a small boat with six guests or fewer. Choose a tour to see dates and times.
Private
$450 per boat, up to 6
Groups up to 24 on 4 boats
Departs 7, 10 and 1
Private, more water time
$585 per boat, up to 6
Groups up to 24 on 4 boats
Departs 8 AM and 1 PM
Private, lunch included
$999 per boat, up to 6
Groups up to 24 on 4 boats
Departs 8 AM
Not sure which one? Compare the tours
More than six in your group? Call 352-257-8687
