Quick Details
Book the whole boat and spend up to two hours in the water with wild manatees when conditions allow. The main difference from the 3-hour private tour is one more hour: a little more laid back, for a few bucks more.
Private Charter
$ 585.00
Enjoy a Half Day Manatee Encounter
Manatees keep their own schedule. Sometimes the best moment comes in the first ten minutes. Sometimes it comes after forty minutes of quiet floating, when a calf finally decides you’re interesting. The extra hour gives you time to wait for it.
We aim to keep you in the water for up to two hours whenever conditions allow. The rest is yours: the springs, the monkeys, dolphins, or simply more questions for your captain.
Discover Manatee Magic – What your trip looks like
Check in, get fitted for wetsuits, and watch the Manatee Manners briefing together. Your captain takes your group to the best manatee water of the day, and no one else comes aboard. Float, watch, and let the manatees set the pace. When you’re ready, climb out to hot cocoa or ice water and see what else the river has to show you.
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. Four hours gives your captain time to find the quietest manatee water of the day. You’ll get exact meeting details in your confirmation.
What’s included
- The whole boat for up to 6 guests, for 4 hours
- Up to 2 hours in the water with manatees, conditions allowing
- A USCG-licensed captain and in-water guide, just for your group, permitted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
- Wetsuits (toddler through 5X), masks, snorkels and noodles
- Manatee Manners briefing, filmed with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
- Hot cocoa and coffee in cooler months, ice water in warmer months
- A return voucher if no manatees are sighted
Add a photographer: $175 per booking. More time in the water means more of the moments worth keeping.
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.
Good to know
- Ages: 2 and up recommended
- Swimming: not required. You float with a noodle. The swim is easy, you’ll never be rushed, and staying on the boat is always fine.
- Water: wild river and spring water, about 72 degrees in the springs year-round. The water is clearest from October through April.
- Snacks: bring your own snacks and non-alcoholic drinks. Want lunch included? See the 6 Hour PRIVATE Manatee Tour with Dockside Lunch.
- More than 6 in your group? Call 352-257-8687 and we’ll set you up with a second boat.
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 a trip protection upgrade!