AFISHA LIFE
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Crystal River Manatee Swim in Kings Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Crystal River Manatee Swim in Kings Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Overview

Encounter the endangered West Indian Manatee in Crystal River’s idyllic Kings Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Your US Coast Guard licensed captains and guides will take you into the 600 acre spring fed refuge waters for viewing and snorkeling with these friendly, curious, slow moving gentle giants. All equipment, fees and beverages are included.

City: Crystal River

Wed 19 Mar

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $79.81

Make a reservation

Wed 19 Mar

Starting at $79.81

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Professional guide

Use of equipment (mask, snorkel gear and wet suit)

Beverages (bottled water, coffee and hot chocolate)

Introductory/instructional video offered in English, French, German, Japanese, or Spanish

Additional Info

Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Adult pricing applies to all travelers
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Wetsuits are available in all sizes from toddlers (2 years old and up) to adults up to 5X
It is advised that you have your swimsuit on underneath your clothes for a quicker check-in
Please bring a towel and a plastic bag to hold your belongings
Children under 3 years old are not allowed on this tour. Please call for other options.
Post COVID-19 Policy- We are mindful to thoroughly clean water vehicles between visitors.
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitised between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised
Guides required to regularly wash hands

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (1000)

Sakvanichpong

Aug 2019

We had an awesome family manatee interaction with River Ventures. Very professional, positive enjoyable experience.

Wendy K

Aug 2019

We knew that August in FL isn’t exactly prime manatee viewing season, but decided to give it a go anyhow. We had booked the 6:15 tour, and in spite of it having rained (and hard at that,) and continued chance of storms all day, we headed off to River Ventures. I had called prior to their opening time and left a message inquiring if the tour was still a go. Gloria kindly returned my call and said all of today’s tours were going off as scheduled. Upon arrival we were greeted by the friendly, knowledgeable staff who got us checked in and gave us the swimming with manatee “rules,” and showed us a short video. After that we suited up in wet suits and headed to the boat. It didn’t take Captain Rhonda and JJ our guide, long to locate one of the gentle giants. In fact, there were 4 in this particular group, one of them a calf. We stayed with this group of manatees for the entire experience, watching them swim back and forth under a dock and even getting “pushed” out of the way by one of the larger ones. JJ was awesome, even though my husband and I were the only 2 of 8 passengers on the boat still in the water, he allowed us to stay with those several manatee until we were ready to climb back in the boat. I cannot possibly say enough good things about this experience. One of the features we appreciated the most was that we didn’t have to take a camera along. That JJ was the one taking the pics really allowed us to concentrate on what we were seeing rather than worrying about getting the shot. If I ever decide to swim with manatees again, I would definitely go back to River Ventures.

hcookharris

Aug 2019

Amazing time. Rhonda and Megan were fantastic. Go first thing in the morning. It was quiet and beautiful.