Swimming with Manatees on the Crystal River

On Monday we opted for the 9:15 am manatee tour with River Adventures (believe it or not the tours start at 6:15 am but I knew there was no way Lance would agree to wake up that early to see manatees!).

Captain Mike, our guide and marine biologist, led us to Three Sisters Spring to see the manatees.  It was President's Day so the river was mobbed with lots of families but we managed to squeeze in and see our share of manatees.  They are pretty incredible creatures -- enormous but docile.  We learned that their habitat is usually in warmer waters but in the summer time it is not unusual for manatees to swim as far north as the Chesapeake Bay.  That explains last year's sighting of a manatee on Carter's Creek which now isn't so hard to believe.

The air temperature was in the low 50s so it was really cold on the boat, especially after exiting the water and transiting from one manatee site to another.   Fortunately we were equipped with wet suits.  Given that the water was 72 degrees all 8 of us on board the tour boat were more than happy to stay in the water!

After the tour we hopped in MerSea 2 and drove about an hour and half to our next destination -- Manatee Springs State Park.  What a welcome contrast to commercial campgrounds.  This park was tranquil and low key.  We had plenty of privacy at our site and lots of hiking and biking trail options.

The Spring at Manatee Spring State Park

Spanish Moss draping over a Live Oak along the Boardwalk Trail

The Park is about two hours north of Tampa and is located along the Suwanee River shortly before it merges into the Gulf of Mexico.  Manatee Springs is considered a first magnitude spring because it generates 150 million gallons of fresh water per day.  The springs were tempting for a late afternoon swim until I spotted a snake laying in wait by the swim ladder -- no thanks!

Lance and I have not traveled through this part of Florida before and what is surprising is how little development there is along the coast.  In fact most of the coast line seems to be under the state park or fish and wildlife agencies.  That explains why the area was given the moniker "The Nature Coast."