Learn about manatees
Three Sisters Springs in Crystal River is one of the most photographed manatee spots in the world, and for good reason. On a cold morning in the cooler months the springs fill with manatees resting in the warm water.
If it's on your list, here's what you should know before you snorkel there or book a manatee tour, from a crew that has worked these waters for 26 years. We'll also tell you about a quieter option a few miles south, because honesty is the best policy.
Three Sisters is a group of spring-fed pools in Crystal River, Florida, part of the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. The springs flow at about 72°F year-round. When the Gulf turns cold in the cooler months, manatees come into Kings Bay and the springs to stay warm, and Three Sisters is one of their favorite places to rest.
That's the important word: rest. For the manatees, Three Sisters is a bedroom, not a playground.
By water
Swimmers and manatees reach the springs through the same narrow waterway at the entrance. That's why it can feel tight on a busy day.
With a guide
You can snorkel the springs with a tour guide on a guided manatee tour. Kayaks and paddleboards are only allowed inside the springs from April 1 to November 14.
From land
There's a boardwalk for viewing from shore, reached by shuttle, on foot or by bike through the Three Sisters Springs Center, with tickets sold online. You can't get into the water from the boardwalk.
Not for the season, despite what you may have read. The springs stay open to guided visits through the cooler months. The exception is very cold days, when the refuge closes them completely so the manatees can rest in the warm water undisturbed. Those are, of course, often the days the most manatees are there.
The Homosassa River system never has random daily closures. When Three Sisters closes for the day, it creates a traffic jam of swimmers at the entrance. You won't experience that on the Homosassa.
You'll also see white ropes around parts of the springs and Kings Bay. Those mark manatee sanctuaries, in effect from November 15 to March 31: areas closed to people and boats so the animals have somewhere quiet. Inside the ropes, you'll be looking at manatees from the outside in.
Fame. Three Sisters is the picture on a lot of postcards and travel blogs, so on a cooler-month weekend it draws a lot of swimmers and manatee tours into a small space where manatees are trying to sleep. Some visitors love the energy. Others tell us it felt like a parking lot.
If you go, go early in the week, snorkel with a guide, float quietly, and give the resting manatees plenty of room.
That depends almost entirely on the temperature. After a cold night in the cooler months, there can be a lot. On a warm day in spring or summer, the springs can be nearly empty, because the manatees have gone out to feed. They're wild animals. They don't have a calendar or a smartphone.
A quieter option
Our manatee tours depart from the Homosassa River, a few miles south of Crystal River. It's spring-fed too, with the same Florida manatees and the same 72°F springs. The difference is the number of people.
Six guests per boat, not a crowd in a small spring
Fewer boats on the river, and calmer manatees
Captains who teach, so you understand what you're seeing
Manatees here year-round, including the residents that stay all summer
The No Sighting Promise: our captains find manatees on 90% of trips, and if yours is one of the few, you come back
If seeing Three Sisters is the dream, go see it. If the dream is a quiet moment with a wild manatee that chose to come say hello, that's what we do every day.
Three Sisters Springs
Homosassa River (our tours)
Location
Crystal River, inside the refuge
Just south of Crystal River, outside the refuge
Water
Spring-fed, about 72°F
Spring-fed, about 72°F
Best season
Cold days in the cooler months
Year-round, biggest numbers in the cooler months
Crowds
Heavy in peak season
Light
Cold-day closures
Yes
No random daily closures
Parking
Varies; some marinas charge per person
Free at our private resort docks
Group size
Varies by operator
Never more than 6 per boat
If you'd like to snorkel with six people instead of sixty, come see us in Homosassa.
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
